By Daily Sports Nigeria on December 15, 2023

Ahead of the start of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, former Ivory Coast forward, Salomon Kalou, has warned the Elephants to be wary of their Group A opponents especially the Super Eagles, a side he perceived to be very dangerous, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Ivory Coast, who are the hosts of next year’s AFCON, have been drawn in Group A alongside Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.

For the Elephants, they will hope to replicate Egypt’s 2006 feat of being the last host nation to get to the final of the competition.

While Jean-Louis Gasset’s side are hoping to win the AFCON title for the third time having claimed it in 1992 and 2015, Nigeria, three-time AFCON winners, will strive to clinch the title once again, having previously triumphed in 1980, 1994 and 2013.

The Eagles begin their quest for their fourth title against Juan Micha’s men January 14 before squaring off against the hosts January 18 at the 60,000-capacity Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan in one of the most highly anticipated games of the tournament’s group stage.

Speaking in an interview with CAFonline, the former Chelsea striker admitted that the group was a tough one with Jose Peseiro’s side the most dangerous team.

“Firstly, it’s a group made up of very good teams, starting with Nigeria which is a very dangerous side. At each AFCON, the Super Eagles show great potential,” Kalou told CAFonline.

“During the last edition, Equatorial Guinea did well, and Guinea Bissau may be the surprise of the group.

“We will have to respect all the teams and above all, win the first match to start the competition well, because that is where everything starts from.”

Ivory Coast last hosted the African showpiece in 1984, a period the Arta Solar7 striker said felt like an eternity.

“We are happy to welcome all of Africa. We can’t wait to celebrate football. Ivory Coast is a land of football. We had a lot of legends like Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Gervinho and so on. Players who made the colours of the country shine for many years. Organizing this AFCON is something very important for us, the last time we hosted this competition was in 1984.

“It has been 40 years since Ivory Coast hosted AFCON, which is an eternity for a nation passionate about football like Ivory Coast. There is a lot of passion around this event. I want to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara, for the infrastructure put in place.”

Source Punch Ng

Posted December 15, 2023

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