‘Surprise package’ not here to add to numbers

As hosts, Gabon may be favoured to make it to the second round from a Group C which also has the Maghreb duo of Morocco and Tunisia and surprise entrants Niger.

Gabon

At national level, Gabonese football has been on the rise, with the junior team qualifying to the Olympic Games after a shock 1-0 win over Morocco.

Sealing a place in the London 2012 Olympics and annexing their first ever continental title has come as a huge sigh of relief, changing the recent unfriendly headlines in the media.

Only last month, the whole nation was staring through dark clouds of turbulence.

On November 30, the league season was suspended due to lack of funds after only nine weekends of matches.

The Azingo Nationalle have been in the Nations Cup four times before.

They have St Etienne forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, goalkeeper Didier Ovono of Le Mans, also in France, and defender Bruno Ecele Manga as their key performers.

Coach Gerno Rohr believes his team can reach, at worst, the semi-finals.

Tunisia

The North Africans have participated in 14 Africa Cup of Nations finals tournaments, winning the title as hosts in 2004 and ending as runners-up in 1996 and 1965.

Nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage (the Eagles of Carthage), Tunisia also appeared in three straight World Cups – from 1998 to 2006 – confirming their status as one of Africa’s best teams in the past decade or so.

However, since 2004 Tunisia have only managed two quarter-final appearances at the continental tournament and bowed out of Angola 2010 in the first round.

The Carthage Eagles are going through a period of transition which will be overseen by French coach Bertrand Marchand, who recently took charge of the team following the departure of Faouzi Benzarti earlier this year.

Morocco

The 1976 champions have a proud football heritage, based on the fact that they were the second African team to qualify for the World Cup and also the first to ever win a group at the World Cup.

They were also the first African team to go to second round, losing to eventual runner-ups West Germany 1-0 in the same tournament.

That said, much is always expected of this proud football nation. But when it comes to the Nations Cup, over the past decade or so they have really disappointed.