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Morocco should coast past outsiders
by Ian Wilkerson
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NAMIBIA are the 37th-ranked team in Africa and, while hardly anyone expected them to qualify from a group that included Libya and DR Congo, it is difficult to see them doing anything but enjoying the ride to Ghana.

Dutchman Arie Schans has taken the reins followingthe resignation of Ben Bamfuchile – who died shortly afterwards – but they face a really tough task against Morocco, who will have an eye on capturing the title.

Under Henri Michel, the man who guided the country to the 1998 World Cup and Ivory Coast to the semi-finals two years ago, they have a solid defence and, in Bordaeux's Marovane Chamakh, one of the nation's highest-rated strikers.

They have already beaten today's opponents 2-0 in a friendly in October and have posted some impressive resultsin recent months, posting a 3-0 victory over highly-fancied Senegal and a 2-2 draw in France.

Morocco, who include Southampton's Youssef Safri and Porto's impressive midfielder Tarik Sektioui in their squad, conceded just one goal in their four qualifying matches.

And it is difficult to see the Namibians – who are 200-1 for overall glory – troubling their defence in Accra.

Recommendation
Morocco to win to nil, 2pts 10-11

Mali under pressure to perform
by Michael Brear

IT'S hard not to feel a little sorry for Benin.

Not only were their brave African Nations Cup qualification efforts unjustly rewarded with a place in the difficult Group B, but their attempts to recruit players of a Beninese heritage by advertising in the French press and on their website fell – a few opportunistic hopefuls apart – largely on deaf ears as well.

In all, it has been a difficult time since they secured their place alongside the African elite.

The 250-1 tournament outsiders are the least deadly side in a lethal group which puts them and tonight's opponents Mali alongside Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

And the Squirrels will be hoping they don't get well and truly trampled by Africa's bigger beasts – the Eagles, the Super Eagles and the Elephants – in the stampede for places in the knockout stages.

Accrington Stanley midfielder Romuald Boco, without whom his side shipped eight goals against Peterborough last week, forms part of a side many will expect Fredi Kanoute to feast upon in tonight's clash inSekondi. But the level of expectation their more seasoned opponents have to deal with could just help the underdogs.

Due to the difficulty of this group, there's plenty of pressure on Mali to beat Benin to stay on course for the knockout phases, something they failed to do on the two occasions these teams met in the qualifiers – both games ended in draws.

Mali's midfield comprises Seville's Seydou Keita, Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra and the out-of-form Momo Sissoko.

With the Liverpool midfielder up for sale, Rafa Benitez will no doubt be hoping the youngster sticks to chasing down and mithering the opposition and doesn't have to pass the ball more than 15 yards enough to put off any potential suitors.

Keita and Diarra offer a slightly more creative edge, but the emphasis of the Eagles is on power rather than guile - their set-up seems to favour stifling the best sides rather than breaking down the worst – and they could find the Squirrels a tough nut to crack yet again.

Recommendation
Draw, 1pt 5-2

Clash of the giants should live up to all expectations
by Dan Childs

THE African Nations Cup got under way with an exciting 2-1 victory for hosts Ghana over Guinea, but the tournament could really catch fire when big-hitters Nigeria and Ivory Coast go head-to-head in Sekondi today.

Both sides are in the top four in the betting, but with Mali also posing a
threat in Group B, they will be keen to open up with a win.

Nigeria coach Berti Vogts did not cover himself in glory during his spell in charge of Scotland.

But his failure there has not stopped him from landing one of the plum jobs in international football.

Vogts suffered from a dearth of attacking options when he led the Scots but he will have no excuses if Nigeria fail to find the net regularly. Vogts' squad includes Everton striker Yakubu, wily Portsmouth campaigner Kanu and pacy forwards John Utaka and Obafemi Martins.

However, while Vogts has an embarrassment of riches up front, he is not as well stocked in other departments.

There is an emphasis on Chelsea's John Obi Mikel to win the midfield scrap and Everton's Joseph Yobo will have to take responsibility at the back.

Yobo is used to coming up against some of the world's best strikers in the Premier League but there he is aided by an able partner, Joleon Lescott, and a hard-working midfield.

A lot will depend on how Yobo's likely defensive partner – Danny Shittu – handles the occasion. Shittu has been one of the shining lights for Watford and has netted six goals in his last eight appearances. However, playing in the Championship will not have prepared him for the ordeal of facing Ivory Coast's awesome forward line.

The striking options available to Elephants coach Gerard Gili are truly mind-boggling.

Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou will be battling it out with Lyon's Abdelkader Keita, Seville's Arouna Kone and Werder Bremen's Boubacar Sanogo for forward places.

But the strength of the Ivory Coast squad is not just confined to the final third.

Holding midfielder Yaya Toure has been a regular starter for Barcelona and he will be well supported by Didier Zokora, who tend to play better for his country than he does for Tottenham.

And a strong back-line features Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure and Stuttgart left-back Arthur Boka.

Toure'steam may struggle to keep a clean sheet against a strong Nigerian attack but they should provide enough of a platform for their more creative players to prosper.

Recommendations
Ivory Coast, 1pt 11-8
Over 2.5 goals, 1pt 13-10

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