Ivory Coast coach Vahid Halilhodzic brimmed with confidence on Friday despite having to face fellow World Cup qualifiers Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations “Group of Death.”
“It’s a difficult group, but we are arriving as favorites. We know very well Burkina Faso, they were in our qualifying group. I think Ghana is a very strong country, but we are coming to the Nations Cup with lots and lots of ambition,” Halilhodzic said.
Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu acknowledged that defending champions Egypt, seeking a record third consecutive title, would be tough first-round opponents after the draw in the Angolan capital. Amodu, who guided the Super Eagles to the World Cup last weekend after a 3-2 victory over Kenya, were placed in Benguela-based Group C with the Pharoahs, Mozambique and Benin.
“It’s definitely a difficult group, but if you come to a competition like this you have to be prepared for any group. We will be going back home and preparing very seriously for January,” Amodu said.
Former Angola captain Fabrice “Akwa” Maiceo was upbeat after the hosts came up against Algeria, Mali and Malawi in Group A, which will be based in the capital Luanda.
“I think Angola have a good chance of passing through to the next phase ... all the teams are adversaries that we know well,” he told reporters after the ceremony. “Mali we played in France this year ... we know Malawi from games in Cosafa ... and Algeria, well they have just qualified for the World Cup, but we are going to play at home so we have a good chance of going through.”
Benin Football Federation president El-Hadj Anjorin was happy with the draw, although Benin will be outsiders with Mozambique against Egypt and Nigeria.
“When you reach this type of competition it’s because you’ve worked hard. Everything now depends on how we prepare. It will be easy for us to beat Mozambique, so once we have negotiated those three points we can go on to make sure we go through to the next stage,” Anjorin said.
Tunisia Football Federation official Ahmed Aloulou said: “None of the groups are easy, but Tunisia are a big football nation in Africa. Having been eliminated from the World Cup, we are hoping for a better Africa Nations Cup.”
The biennial Africa Cup of Nations competition will be staged in Angola from Jan. 10 to Jan. 31 in Luanda, Benguela, Cabinda and Lubango.
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