Senegal will begin their defence of the Africa Cup of Nations title when they square off against Gambia at Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro this evening.
Group C looks like it could be one of the most competitive in the competition, featuring five-time champions Cameroon and the up-and-coming Guinea, who face off at this venue directly after the conclusion of this match live on StarTimes Sports Premium Channel 252 and 246 as well as StarTimes-On app.
Since Egypt claimed their third consecutive title back in 2010, no team has managed to defend the AFCON trophy, but Senegal come into this year’s competition as the favourites to do just that, according to several bookmakers.
In the history of the competition, only three nations have managed to successfully retain the AFCON title: Egypt (1957, 1959; 2006, 2008, 2010), Ghana (1963, 1965) and Cameroon (2000, 2002).
Despite a slow start in the 2021 continental competition, which included scoring just one goal and playing out two goalless draws in the group stages, Senegal shed the tag of underachievers by winning the tournament at the expense of Egypt.
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Since then, The Lions of Teranga have gone from strength to strength, boasting a star-studded team that features the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Serge Aurier, Kalidou Koulibaly and the two-time African Player of the Year, Sadio Mane.
Despite significant chopping and changing in recent months, Aliou Cisse’s side come into the tournament in excellent shape, winning six of their last 10 matches in all competitions and losing only once in that time.
These two last met in the African Nations Cup back in 2015, which Senegal won 1-0, and with that result, they maintained their unbeaten record against Gambia that dates back to 2008.
Gambia will get their tournament started as the biggest outsiders and the lowest-ranked team in Group C, currently in 29th place among 53 African footballing nations according to FIFA World Rankings.
TODAY’S FIXTURES
Senegal vs. Gambia
Cameroon vs. Guinea
Algeria vs. Angola