African Cup of Nations 2008 Preview: Group D

Group D

Angola Senegal South Africa Tunisia

It is now tantalisingly close. Just four days before Ghana kick off the 2008 African Cup of Nations with their game against Guinea in Accra let us now cast our eyes over the final quartet, in Group D. If Group B is considered the 'Group of Death' then perhaps this is the 'Group of Life' as all four teams will realistically feel they have a chance of progressing. Its going to be tight in Tamale.

Angolan football has enjoyed a prosperous period in recent years, and in what looks like the draw’s most evenly balanced group coach Luís Oliveira Gonçalves will hope to navigate Angola into the knockout stages for the first time in their history. The Palancas Negras, (The Black Antelopes) have participated in the ACNs just three times before, most recently in 2006 when they finished third in their group behind Cameroon and DR Congo, but having sailed through qualifying this time around Angolan fans are optimistic the team will be able to draw on their experiences from the 2006 World Cup and propel themselves into the last eight. Angola scored the most goals of any team in Africa during qualification, including a 6-1 thrashing of group runners-up Eritrea, and after making light work of that opposition Gonçalves’ men are now presented with the chance to pit their wits against stronger rivals. Angola begin their campaign on 23^rd January 2008 against South Africa and this game will strongly indicate how they can expect to fare. Players to watch include Zé Kalanga, the Boavista right winger with pace to burn, Flavio (Al-Ahly), experienced striker and scorer of Angola’s only ever World Cup goal, and Manucho Gonçalves, the young Pedro Atletico frontman that is awaiting a work permit for a move to Manchester United. Manucho is a physical presence that has looked sharp in the build up to the competition, and he will be hoping to introduce himself to the world stage in Ghana before moving to Old Trafford.

Senegal were not wholly convincing in qualifying and left it to the last day before they secured their place in Ghana with a 5-1 win over Burkina Faso, but the Lions of Teranga eventually made it through and will compete in this their 11^th Cup of Nations. Starting with a game against Tunisia on the 23^rd January 2008, the West Africans are not generally fancied to go all the way and win the tournament, but they do have a number of capable players in the squad that should propel them to the quarter finals and maybe even further. El Hadji Diouf (Bolton Wanderers) is the captain, talisman and also the most capped Senegalese player, and the creative playmaker has been talking up his nation’s prospects prior to the tournament. "We have a very good team. We do not fear anyone...There are one or two teams that you don't want to play until the later stages of the tournament but there are not many teams that will want to play us." Diouf has never been one to lack confidence, and if he manages to hit form in Ghana the Lions of Teranga will be a dangerous side. Senegal have six other players at Premier League clubs in their squad, and Habib Beye, Abdoulaye Faye (both Newcastle United) and Papa Bouba Diop (Portsmouth) should form the defensive backbone of the team. A good attacking player to watch out for is Mamadou Niang, who has put in a number of impressive performances for Olympique Marseille this season. Senegal have never won the African Cup of Nations surprisingly, and Polish coach Henryk Kasperczak will be hoping he can guide the Lions to an historic success that would enrapture the nation.

South Africa were unceremoniously dumped out of their last ACNs campaign in Egypt 2006, losing all three games without so much as scoring a goal. Now, after installing Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira as coach and presenting him the task of building a side the 2010 World Cup hosts can be proud of, Bafana Bafana have the first real opportunity to see what their young squad are capable of. South Africa scraped through to this competition as the last of three best runners-up, and their pre-tournament preparations have been dominated by headlines surrounding the surprise omission of Benni McCarthy, one of the best strikers ever to play for them. As such, a lot of uncertainty surrounds what is a largely inexperienced group ahead of the tournament. Parreira will be desperately hoping his brave decisions do not backfire and the young stars do not flop, particularly given his reportedly astronomical wage of USD $253,000 per month. Bafana Bafana fans will be watching closely to see if he can prove his worth. With McCarthy absent the main striking threat will come from Sibusiso Zuma (Arminia Bielefeld). He was top scorer for the South Africans in qualifying and offers pace and power in forward areas. Everton’s Steven Pienaar, recent subject of a bitter club-vs-country row, will also be a key player in midfield and will need to show the same level of flair and creativity he has for his club this season if South Africa are to qualify from what is an evenly matched group. Captain Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn Rovers) will participate in this his fourth African Cup of Nations, and harbours ambitions of helping Bafana Bafana lift what would be their second title.

Tunisia won this tournament for the first time in their history back in 2004, fully reaping the rewards of playing on home soil, but after losing their crown at the quarter final stage in Egypt they now arrive in Ghana seeking to regain the title as Africa’s finest. Under the guise of the vastly experienced French coach Roger Lemerre, now in his sixth year at the helm, Les Aigles de Carthage (The Eagles of Carthage) finished second to Sudan over the course of their qualifying group but made it through as one of the best runners’-up. Tunisia will likely struggle to have the same impact they did in 2004 however, with the pool of players not as strong as back then, and recent criticisms of Lemerre’s side have been that they play too defensively and possess a dearth of players with real creativity. Issam Jemâa (FC Caen) was one of Africa’s leading goalscorers in the qualifying campaign, joint top with five goals, and he along with naturalised Brazilian Francileudo Santos (Toulouse) will be expected to lead the line and provide the flair. Look out also for Yassine Chikhaoui (FC Zurich). The 21-year old attacking midfielder/striker is a prodigious talent and is already attracting the likes of Ajax, Marseille and Lyon. A good showing in Ghana may well persuade a chairman or two to open their chequebooks. Mohamed Chermiti (Etoile du Sahel) is another young forward player that has shown promise for his club side.

Prediction: This is the toughest group to call. Senegal look to have enough to qualify, but after that all three are evenly matched. I fancy the winner of the South Africa v Tunisia game on 27th January 2008 to go through. Er…Senegal and Tunisia.