AFCON 2021 PREVIEW: A cursory look at teams in Group A

Africa’s Flagship football competition; the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Sunday in Cameroon.

As part of our coverage of the latest edition of the biennial tournament, FMiG takes readers through a perfunctory journey across the various groups.

The focus of this piece is on Group A.

Group A houses hosts Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia & Cape-Verde

GROUP A Fixtures

Sunday 9 January: Cameroon v Burkina Faso, Ethiopia v Cape Verde

Thursday 13 January: Cameroon v Ethiopia, Cape Verde v Burkina Faso

Monday 17 January: Burkina Faso v Ethiopia, Cape Verde v Cameroon

Cameroon (Indomitable Lions)

The 5-time African Champions will go into the 2021 TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations under loads of pressure from teeming home support who will be hoping their lads will emerge with the ultimate on the final day.

Keen to bounce back from a disappointing showing at the last edition in Egypt, Cameroon have shuffled up things bringing in experienced Portuguese tactician Conceicao.

Under him, Cameroon have seemingly found a new lease of life playing high-intensity attacking football and will be one of the sides to watch out for in this tournament.

The hosts boast some experienced players in their ranks and will be counting on the Bayern Munich hitman, Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting for firepower upfront whilst Napoli’s Franck Zambo Anguissa provides steel in the midfield.

Cameroon are most likely to progress from the Group as Group winners as they have got more than enough quality to hold their own against fellow group mates, Burkina-Faso, Ethiopia and Cape-Verde.

Beyong the group stages, anything short of the trophy will be deemed by fans as a failure as they would be wishing for the “host & win” mantra to be a reality. The Lions, however, have a strong chance of bettering their performance at the last edition and look favorites for a semi-final spot.

Burkina Faso (The Stallions)

Often tagged as the dark horses of the African Cup of Nations, the Stallions Class of 2022 will be keen to continue that tradition and lay down a marker when they go out to represent the colors Green and Red.

Having missed out on the last edition in 2019, the young generation of talented individuals Burkina Faso will be presenting at this year’s edition are tipped to be one of the most exciting teams to watch as they always tend to put on a show when they take to the field.

Bertrand Traore, Gustavo Sangare, and defensive stalwart Issoufou Dayo will be amongst the stars that will be expected to lead the Stallions charge in Cameroon.

As perennial dark horses, Burkina Faso are expected to sail through the Group phase with ease and will present themselves as a tricky opponent for anyone in the knockout phases.

Despite being one of the youngest teams going into the tournament, a Quarter-final spot won’t be a far-fetched target for the Stallions.

Ethiopia (Walia Ibex)

Returning to the continent’s major showpiece for the first time in nine (9) years, Ethiopians will be excited to see their nation amongst the big time.

Coach Wubetu Abate, the mastermind behind this feat has consistently stuck with his attacking philosophy and preferred to set his team out playing a 4-3-3.

The system has yieled success and has been built on the expertise of midfield gem Shemeles Bekele and complemented by the efforts of captain Getaneh Kebede who leads the line alongside exciting young attacker Abubekar Nassir.

Reaching the knockout phases of the competition will certainly be more than enough success for this Ethiopian side who are undoubtedly underdogs in this group.

However, with the uncertainties associated with the game of football, don’t rule the Ethiopians securing one of the 3rd best placed spots.

Cape Verde (Blue Sharks)

The journey of the Blue Sharks has been one worth telling a story about. Having made their AFCON debut in 2013, and reappearing in 2015, it’s taken another 6 years for Cape Verde to return to Africa’s major showpiece.

The Blue Sharks are undoubtedly one of the underdogs at this year’s tournament and will most definitely be battling it out with Ethiopia for the best 3rd placed slot if they were to secure a place in the knockout phase of the competition.

Cape Verde provided a show with some thrilling attacking display on their debut appearance in 2013 and fans will be expecting more of the same when they take to the field in Cameroon.