The 31st edition of 2017 African Cup of Nations will kick off on January 14th in Gabon. The tournament will take place across four different venues including Libreville, Franceville, Oyem and Port Gentil. The tournament was originally supposed to be hosted in Libya but was shifted to Gabon due to an ongoing war in the country.
Also read: List of Premier League players who will play in AFCON
The winner of the AFCON 2017 will also qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup in Russia later this year. This tournament also marks the 60th anniversary of the African Cup of Nations.
Here is the list of matches you cannot afford to miss:
1. Gabon vs. Cameroon
The host nation will take on four time winners Cameroon in their final group stage match. Gabon is aiming for their first ever AFCON title and the support of home crowd will defenitely come handy for the host nation. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the best strikers in the world at the moment, will lead the team. The lineup is further reinforced by Juventus star Mario Lemina and Sunderland midfielder Didier N'Dong.
However, Gabbon can't afford to underestimate Cameroon, with four titles to their credit. Cameroon boasts of a list of players including Nicolas Nkoulou, Clinton N'Jie and Vincent Aboubakar, who can change the course of a match at any point.
2.Algeria vs. Senegal
Algeria will face Senegal in their final Group B encounter. The two teams boasts of some of the finest African players in the world and this is a match you certainly cannot miss. Leicester City duo of Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani will lead the lineup for Algeria along with the likes of Napoli full back Faouzi Ghoulam, Saphir Taider, Yacine Brahimi and former Tottenham player Nabil Bentaleb.
Senegal's best run in the AFCON was way back in 2002 when they finished as runner-ups, but that could change this year given their impressive lineup. The likes of Sadio Mane, Cheikhou Kouyate, Idrissa Gueye and Mama Biram Diouf can pose danger to any defense.
3.Ivory Coast vs. Morocco
Current champions and tournament favorites Ivory Coast's match against Morocco will certainly be one to watch out for considering the quality players both teams have. There is no doubt that Ivory Coast will look to defend their title but they will have to be at their best against a young and determined Morocco team who are eager to make their presence felt on the world stage.
Ivory Coast boasts of one of the strongest and meanest defense leveraged by Eric Bailly, Serge Aurier and Lamine Kone. However, Morocco will fancy their chances as they possess the highly talented and technically sound Sofiane Boufal in their ranks.
4. Ivory Coast vs. DR Congo
While Ivory Coast will be clear favorites in this match, you certainly cannot rule out Congo. They might not possess huge stars like Ivory Coast, but they have a bunch of determined players. Let's not forget both DR Congo and Ivory Coast have won AFCON two times before. The likes of Chancel Mbemba, Youssouf Mulumbu, Mbokani and Cedric Bakambu will fight it out for Congo as they look to win their third AFCON title.
5. Ghana vs. Egypt
Ghana and Egypt are two of the most successful teams in the AFCON cup with 4 and 7 titles respectively so far. Ghana will use the pace of Ayew brothers and Christian Atsu to feed the ball to their captain and top goal scorer Asamoah Gyan.
While Ghana has their pace, Egypt has a lot of technically gifted players. Mohamed Salah will use his pace down the right hand side and add to that Mohamed Elneny's passing ability, and Ghana will have a tough time resisting the duo.
Here is a look at the complete fixture list
