The 2023 AFRICAN Cup of Nations is less than three weeks away as
the footballing world gears up for the biggest party of the year in
Ivory Coast. It’s not too early to start salivating over the
thrilling encounters guaranteed to take place from January 13
onwards. Some of the world’s best players will take part in this
illustrious competition and it’ll be a dream come true for many
youngsters.
Competing countries have had in front of them their respective
maps to glory since the
AFCON 2023 group stage draw was made in October. The
competition is so fierce and it is incredibly tough to predict who
will rise above the rest to go all the way. However, some have
dared to offer their predictions, like Yaya Toure, one of the best
African players in the 21st century.
Who are Yaya Toure’s picks for AFCON
2023?
The likes of Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana,
Egypt, Tunisia and Cameroon have been tipped to win the coveted
trophy by many experts, but celebrated African football star Yaya
Toure has a different opinion regarding the potential winners of
the tournament.
The 40-year-old, who captained the Ivory Coast to AFCON, glory
believes that one of the following nations would emerge as victors
in the competition: South Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire,
Morocco, and reigning champions Senegal.
Joie Cote d’Ivoire – Yaya
Toure – 08.02.2015 – Ghana / Cote d’Ivoire – Finale Coupe d’Afrique
des Nations – Bata Photo
“It’s normal to have a preference for your own country,” Toure,
who is currently serving as an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia
national team, shared his thoughts with Forbes Afrique. “Côte
d’Ivoire has a strong team and many talented and experienced
players. But if I had to choose the teams I think are favourites,
I’d say Senegal, Morocco, Guinea-Bissau and South Africa. They had
an impressive qualifying campaign,” he added.
Ivory Coast will host the competition and they do have a good
team, but will that be enough for them to win the prestigious
competition for the third time in the nation’s history?
Meanwhile, South Africa placed second in a group that had
Morocco, Liberia and Zimbabwe in the
qualifiers for AFCON 2023. In four games, they won two, drew
one and lost one. The Djurtus of Guinea Bissau placed second behind
Nigeria recording three victories, one defeat and a defeat.
Senegal, on the other hand, avoided defeat in all six games.
Pitched against Benin, Mozambique and Rwanda, the Teranga Lions won
four and drew two. Currently placed in a tricky
Group C that has Cameroon, Gambia and Guinea, the Aliou
Cisse-led side are tipped to retain the title they won last
year.
Morocco’s splendid showing at the last FIFA World Cup
corroborates Toure’s assertion of being one of the nations highly
tipped to win the competition. Walid Regragui has a blend of
experienced and talented youngsters to champion his cause in Ivory
Coast. With Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En- Nesyri, and
Noussair Mazraoui at his disposal, Regragui will have his work cut
out for him in a group that has Zambia, DR Congo, and Tanzania.
Have Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, or Tunisia the wherewithal
to prove Yaya Toure wrong or will South Africa, Guinea Bissau,
Morocco, Senegal, or Ivory Coast win the tournament to confirm
Toure’s predictions? We await with a great deal of
apprehension.
Source link : https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/yaya-toure-afcon-2023-picks
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Publish date : 2023-12-24 08:00:00
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