Opposition watch: Ivory Coast name Nottingham Forest, Brighton stars in 27-man AFCON squad; no Zaha 

Ivory Coast manager Jean-Louis Gasset, on Thursday evening, unveiled a provisional list of twenty-seven players selected for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. 

The Super Eagles will do battle with the Elephants in a Group A match at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on January 18.

An analysis of Ivory Coast's roster revealed that three goalkeepers, eight defenders, six midfielders and ten attackers are in contention to represent the Elephants in the tournament which will be held from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in the Ivorian cities of Abidjan, Bouaké, Korhogo, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro.

Former Manchester United and Crystal Palace dazzler Wilfried Zaha has been omitted from the roster, which is not surprising given that he has played only two games for the Elephants since the start of January 2023.

Concerning the English-based players in the squad, Nottingham Forest trio Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangare and Serge Aurier. Brighton  Hove striker Simon Adingra and Hull City's Jean Michael Seri are in the group.

As part of their preparations for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Jean-Louis Gasset and his team will face Sierra Leone in a friendly on January 6 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro

Ivory Coast will face Guinea-Bissau in the opening match of the tournament on January 13, before playing Nigeria then Equatorial Guinea.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: fif-ci.com

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