Are we all excited about the Africa Cup of Nations yet? We had no choice but to get over the fact that Harambee Stars would miss out again – and focus on an intriguing month of football. We invite you to follow Mozzart Sport Kenya coverage of the tournament – starting with a detailed preview of each individual group.Group D will feature Egypt, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.Egypt and Nigeria have had their ups and downs in recent months, but their quality should see them qualify comfortably. However, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan will give it a shot now that they’re made it this far. And with a possibility of making it into the knockouts by finishing third in your group – every point and every goal could prove precious.EgyptThey’re not called Pharaohs for nothing. They are the rulers of the continent. The seven AFCON titles they’ve secured over the years is a record that doesn’t look like it will be broken anytime soon. There hasn’t been an edition of the Africa Cup of Nations where they haven’t been considered favourites and that speaks volumes. They have defended the title twice, between 1957 and 1959 and between 2006 and 2008. Added to those four were victorious outings in 1986, 1998 and 2010. Carlos Queiroz, their Portuguese coach, will lead them with the eighth title firmly in their sights.ENPPI’s defender Marwan Dawoud has been called up to Egypt’s squad for AFCON after Mohamed Hamdy injured his knee.#AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/n6uEpEahb1— Africa Soccer Zone (@AfricaSoccer_zn) January 7, 2022 There was lot of criticism for the team during the reign of former coach Hossam El Badry, who was paid the big bucks only to deliver mediocre results. But now there is a new sense of optimism under the former Manchester United and Real Madrid coach. This was clearly shown in the Fifa Arab Cup as Egypt reached the semi-finals despite the absence of Mohamed Salah, Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny and Galatasaray’s Mostafa Mohamed.They boast one of the best players in the world in Salah who is going to lead the line and hopefully feed off the excellent Mohamed, who’s been great for Zamalek and now Galatasaray.Mozzart Bet offers the best odds for the AFCON: Senegal, Egypt and Algeria top title contendersNickname: The PharaohsHead coach: Carlos QueirozCaptain: Mohamed SalahFIFA ranking: 45NigeriaSometimes you have to wonder if they actually want to do well in Nigeria or they deliberately choose to make their own lives difficult. A month before AFCON they got rid of the head coach Gernot Rohr and gave Augustine Eguavoen his third chance of leading the Super Eagles – as a caretaker. Meanwhile, new boss Jose Peseiro will be with the team in a strange role of “an observer”. Exactly what that means or how it will work is beyond us. The Super Eagles must overcome their internal issues and start pulling in the same direction if they want Peseiro to “observe” anything worth watching.They will rely on Leicester City’s midfielder Wilfred Ndidi to run the midfield and recently recovered winger Samuel Chukwueze to wreak havoc in attack. Another Foxes man Kelechi Iheanacho has been pretty quiet so far this season and will need to wake up if he’s to help his national team do anything meaningful in Cameroon.AFCON: Revised Nigeria squad to go after the continental trophyNickname: Super EaglesHead coach: Augustine EguavoenCaptain: Ahmed MusaFIFA ranking: 36Guinea-BissauThe Wild Dogs arrive for their third AFCON in a row – and third in total. In 2017 and 2019 they failed to qualify for the knockouts and doing so would be a massive surprise this time around. The team has done great to reach this tournament, but the fans back home would at least like to see their team play a bit of attacking football. In their last four World Cup qualifiers, Guinea-Bissau scored a grand total of nought goals. Their coach Baciro Cande is often criticised for putting a bit too much emphasis on his defence at the expense of going forward. On that evidence, this team doesn’t promise much entertainment – but we’ll give them a chance either way!🔴 At the 2021 AFCON, there will be three (3) Guinea’s:• Guinea 🇬🇳 (Group B)• Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶 (Group E)• Guinea Bissau 🇬🇼 (Group D)#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 #AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/xvjUKQRTtj— #AFCON2021 ✪ (@MickyJnr__) January 7, 2022 Saudi-based attacker Piqueti Djassi Brito Silva, Vitoria Guimaraes’ Alfa Semedo and Moreto Cassama, who plays for Reims in Ligue 1, will be the ones to watch. As ever, the nation will be quietly optimistic that their Pele will come good. Now 30, the Portuguese-born Judilson Mamadu Tuncara Gomes was once on the books of the great AC Milan, touted as a big star of the future. More than a decade has passed since without Pele living up to his nickname. But tournaments like this are a great opportunity to shine.Nickname: Djurtus (The Wild Dogs)Head coach: Baciro CandeCaptain: Jonas MendesFIFA ranking: 106SudanIf only this were 1970. It would have been great, right? Well, yes, if you ask Sudanese football fans. It’s the year when they won their only AFCON to date. It’s been 50 years but the memories of the past glory remain. There is a rich tradition of football in the country, with Sudan one of the CAF founding members. But you can’t keep living in the past, can you?These days, most players for the national team come from the two biggest clubs – Al Merreikh and Al Hilal. They boast the first-ever Sudanese footballer to be sold for a fee of over $1 million. It was their 28-year-old forward Mohammed Abdel Rahman, who was once boasted as a huge signing for CA Bordj Bou Arreridj two years ago. However, less than a year later – he was back in Sudan Al Hilal. There’s no place like home after all.Each 🇸🇩 Sudanese player will receive an amount of USD $150,000 if they qualify to the Round of 16 stage in the 2021 AFCON. 🔴Sudan are in Group D alongside Egypt, Nigeria and Guinea Bissau. Can they make it from the group?#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 #Sudan pic.twitter.com/CQa6vzkEir— #AFCON2021 ✪ (@MickyJnr__) January 5, 2022 Young defender Mohamed Amin plies his trade in Sweden with third-tier club Motala AIF and is one of the more exotic additions to the team. Another player to watch is Al-Jezoli Nouh, a 21-year-old forward from Merreikh. There are so many unknowns in this team that their fans should be intrigued as much as worried. They are going to face a tough challenge in Cameroon.Nickname: Secretary BirdsHead coach: Burhan TiaCaptain: Mohamed AbdelrahmanFIFA ranking: 125AFRICA CUP OF NATIONSGroup DTuesday, 11 January19.00: (3.50) Nigeria (3.00) Egypt (2.45)22.00: (3.90) Sudan (3.05) Guinea B. (2.25)Saturday, 15 January19.00: Nigeria – SudanSunday, 16 January22.00: Guinea-Bissau – EgyptWednesday, 19 January22.00: Egypt – Sudan22.00: Guinea-Bissau – Nigeria***odds are subject to change
