Battle of the Bridge

Perhaps the defining hours of this season’s Barclay’s English Premier League will be those between 18:00 and 20:00 CAT, when the league’s top four all play each other.

Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, where they haven’t lost for four years, to, non other than, the Gunners. The two sides have been the formula for a breath-taking fixture in the last 3 seasons. Chelsea have had the lion share of victories, with the North Londoners winning only one of the last eleven games in all competitions, and that one being Sunday’s corresponding fixture. A Willian Gallas first-half header was enough to separate the two teams when they locked horns earlier this season at the Emirates. Their league positions go further in accentuating the competitiveness of the match, as both sides have realistic hopes of lifting the silver-ware at the end of the season. With only eight games left for both sides, Arsenal, three points less, closely trail Man United, who lead the race with 70 points. Chelsea follow immediately behind, two points behind their Sunday opponents.

The Blues will be hoping for full recovery from Wednesday’s thriller at White Hart Lane, where the back of the net was slammed eight times. One thing, however, they will want to take with them to the Bridge, from the Spurs’ game, is the fluidity and quickness with which they played. With Drogba at his scoring self again, and Frank Lampard and Michael Essien in fantastic form, Avram Grant can afford something of a smile, surely. And as if that’s not enough, the tactician has got enough width in his side, with England midfielder Joe Cole playing some of his best football, and namesake Ashley beginning to pick up from where he left – on the other side of London.

Five draws in six games is not a statistic Arsene Wenger will be too pleased about. The Gunners seem to be seeing the title slip from their hands, after some disappointing results in the last couple of weeks. They will definitely need to raise their bar on Sunday, if they hope to get anything out of the game; and if they really are to challenge United on the summit, they will need to get something out of the Battle of the Bridge. But can they raise their bar so promptly? That, we know, they can do; just like they’ve done so often under the leadership of inspirational Wenger. They will need to be in AC Milan mode on Sunday if they are to challenge such a robust, stern and psychologically potent Chelsea. Like their North London rivals did in the midweek, Arsenal will be looking to play a quick, counter-attacking game, while keeping it impermeable at the back. This means Belarus magician Alexndre Hleb and England wonder-kid Theo Walcott being nowhere short of their best. A resilient Emmanuel Adebayor will also need to be in top-notch form as he will probably be expected to take the lone role up-front.

There will be no love lost when the two giants meet, with Ashley Cole, Nicholas Anelka and William Gallas all facing their former clubs. An away victory for the Gunners will mean a Premiership double over one of their fiercest rivals. And a victory for the Blues will not only mean revenge for their undoing at the Emirates, but an invaluable one point above their London foes.

Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal

West Ham United were hammered at home against a ruthless Chelsea who, themselves, were coming from a painful Carling Cup Final exit a week earlier. The Blues recorded an emphatic 4-0 away victory even after playing a good part of the game without influential midfielder Frank Lampard.

The celebrations started as early as 120 seconds into the game when John Terry’s parried header was slotted home by new-boy Nicholas Anelka, only for the Frenchman to be told that he was off-side. Chelsea did not despair, though. With 17 minutes on the clock, Frank Lampard put the away team in the lead after Salomon Kalou had been tripped in the box by Antoine Ferdinand for a Chelsea penalty.

Three minutes later, former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole broke Hammers’ heart with a well-guided low shot after an equally superb control. The Bubbles just weren’t forming; because, two minutes later, Germany captain Mickael Ballack cemented last year’s League Cup champions’ lead with a fine, angled shot, making the most use of Frank Lampard’s cross, who was, by now, everywhere, including, in the 33rd minute, in the referee’s book. What looked like a tangle on the ground between the Englishman and West Ham’s Boa Morte ended in dismay for the former, who was having an excellent game thus far.

But it seems Chelsea are just as dangerous without one man as they are with one, if not more potent. Two Mark Noble shots were all the home team had to show before half-time.

Chelsea managed to keep their defense tight-lit in the second half until late when Carlton Cole should have scored after managing to squeeze the ball past and beyond Petr Cech only for captain John Terry to clear off the line. That was all the conformation they needed for a mediocre evening, but former Arsenal left-back made sure of the points when he reacted quickest from Joe Cole’s parried shot to side-foot the ball into the net from an acute angle.

The win keeps Chelsea’s title-aspirations alive after league-leaders Arsenal crucially dropped points at home against Aston Villa. West Ham United will feel bitter, but not too so, since they will know they had played with a side teeming with unspeakable talent and determination.

Tottenham Hotspurs on Saturday recorded a legendary win over their city rivals Chelsea to lift their first major trophy in more than eight years. The 2-1 victory at the new Wembley meant that boss Juande Ramos further added to his remarkable record of cup titles; collecting his fifth silver-ware in a row, after an impressive spell with Spanish side Sevilla.

It was the north Londoners who began the game with more intent when Irish striker Robbie Keane broke free with less than a minute on the clock to force a defensive intervention from Chelsea captain John Terry. They should have gone in front a few moments later when, first, Pascal Chimbonda’s header rattled the wrong side of the crossbar before, within sixty seconds, lethal forward Dimitir Berbatov headed wide after a perfect Keane cross.

The Blues only needed one or two half-chances to revitalize their performance. And it wasn’t too long before they broke Tottenham hearts when Didier Drogba dusted himself from a challenge by namesake Didier Zakora before finding the bottom left-hand corner of the goal. Former England first-choice goalkeeper Paul Robinson was left stranded, although, perhaps, he could have been better positioned.

The 39th minute Drogba strike did not deter a determined Spurs. Almost immediately from the re-start, Robbie Keane shot straight at Chelsea’s Czech goalkeeper Peter Cech before Berbatov uncharacteristically slipped at the final minute, failing to connect to yet another Keane teaser.

Chelsea’s eyes were glistening with the lustrous League Cup, which they so rudely snatched from their other city rivals Arsenal a year ago. It was only until deep in the second phase when an equalizer was sought by Spurs. One of Aaron Lennon’s increasingly desperate antics ended up in a Tottenham penalty after Wayne Bridge merely handled in the box. And monumental Berbatov made no mistake in slotting home his first ever League Cup goal with twenty minutes left to go.

An era thus began; one of unrelenting pressure from Spurs, led by Zakora in the middle, Lennon down wide and the brilliant Keane-Berbatov combination upfront. This led to the frequent stinging of Cech’s hands before the referee’s intervention with the final whistle.

And it looked like the constant bombardment of the Chelsea keeper did pay off after all, when, with just a few minutes played in extra-time, Cech punched a Jermaine Jenas free-kick straight into the destructive forehead of Jonathan Woodgate, who gave Spurs their deserving lead.

Woodgate, partnerd by fellow English-man Ledley King, then went on to defend resiliently against any Chelsea attack, making sure that the trophy goes to north London.

The defeat shatters Chelsea’s hopes of an illustrious quadruple; but still leaves them in contention of the other big three. The Tottenham board will be feeling very elated as thing seem to have shaken up at White Hart Lane after their appointment of the Spanish master tactician.

Arsenal fell under a curse from the Red Devils on Saturday evening after an enthralling performance by the hosts. A comprehensive 4-0 thumping at the hands of their fiercest rivals was enough to deter Arsenal spirits ahead of an equally crucial encounter against continental giants AC Milan later in the week.

What has been described as a ‘virtuoso’ performance by England wonder-kid Wayne Rooney proved to be a little too elusive for the gunners as the comeback-kid wreaked havoc in the visitor’s shaky defense. It was a sixteenth minute corner from the tunnel-end of Old Trafford that sparked everything. A well-positioned Rooney reacted quickest to a lose ball in the penalty area; and his header was too well-place for a hapless Jens Lehmann, even with two men on either post.

Perhaps the difference of the game was United’s new-found Portuguese inspiration Nani, who, without his fellow countryman Christiano Ronaldo, was given license to kill in midfield. And kill he did. A perfect ball on the 20th minute mark fell kindly for Scotland’s Darren Fletcher to further drop the jaws of the United fans, who were, at this point, quite literally in ‘dreamland’. But the dream turned into fantasy just seven minutes before half-time when no-nonsense centre-halt Michael Carrick fed a deserving Nani to slot home an incredible third.

At this point, it couldn’t get worse for Arsenal, surely.

But it did. Three minutes after the re-start, straight-from-the-Africa-Cup-of-Nation Emmanuel Eboue couldn’t hope for a more unpleasant welcome when he was shown red after a barbaric tackle on French left-back Patrice Evra.

Without Flamini, Rosicky, Adebayor, Clichy, Van Persie, Walcott, or even Denilson, Arsenal was looking rather shallow in terms of creativity. Danish Nicklas Bentener and Eduardo didn’t seem to blend, and Fabregas and Hleb in the middle just looked to be out of options. United were simply on top of their game. And perhaps it was the injection of youth that did the damage, with tenacious yet stylish Anderson filling in for Scholes, Park Ji Sung for Giggs, and Nani for Ronaldo. Arsenal was given a dose of their own medicine.

The final nail was carefully inserted in the coffin in the 74th minute when an amazing Nani managed to pull off a juicy cross at the end of a mazy run to find Darren Fletcher unmarked at the far post. His header was, again, perfect.

The result sends the Gunners crushing out of England’s most famous Cup, and United straight into the draw for the quarterfinal where they will be joined by other big-guns Chelsea. Meanwhile, last year’s Champion’s League finalists Liverpool were also very rudely booted-out by a very much second tier Barnsley FC.

Battle of Titans

Saturday, February 16th, marks a very important date in the calendar of English football. Two giants of the game, Manchester United and Arsenal, come face-to-face in an F.A Cup fixture that has, over the last several decades, proved to be simply, a classic.

The two teams meet each other for the 13th time in England’s most famous Cup title. Arsenal will be looking at building on their new-found success over their rivals this season, being unbeaten in the last three meetings. A 2-2 draw at the Emirates in the Premier League earlier this season meant that the bragging rights stay in North London coming into this game.


But Old Trafford is always a different proposition. Most staunch Red Devil’s will remember the mesmerizing goal by veteran Ryan Giggs at the Theatre of Dreams nine years ago in the same fixture. Old Trafford has never been Arsenal’s favorite playing field as memories of a 6-1 defeat close to a decade ago still linger in the minds of many of their fans.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be seeing off his 100th game on Saturday evening, will be hoping for an improved performance from his side after collecting only one point in two testing games. They will be banking on the mood of flamboyant winger Christiano Ronaldo, who seems to be holding the key to United’s fortunes this season. Up-front, they will require striker’s Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, who have not been as potent as expected thus far, to put on their scoring boots if United are to frighten the current league leaders.

On the other side, Arsene Wenger will be rejoicing over the availability of rock-solid centre-back Kolo Toure and his fellow countryman Emmanuel Eboue, who come from a fruitless adventure at the Nations Cup in Ghana. Their presence will do a lot in filling the places of injured Gael Clichy and unavailable Bacary Sagna who have become superb on the flanks. The secret to a famous Arsenal win will lie in how well they manage to shut-down Christiano Ronaldo from the game. That means keeping a tight-lit on him on both wings, as he’s known to very cleverly swap positions with Ryan Giggs when need arises, as well as cutting off all delivery to him from, most likely, Paul Scholes. They will also need to keep up high levels of concentration against a very professional United midfield, while maintaining their famous creativity, orchestrated by Spanish sensation, Cesc Fabregas and the man with dancing feet, Alexander Hleb.

Generally, a very exciting game should be anticipated. Crunching tackles, quick-tempo counter attacks, and an electrifying atmosphere are always necessary ingredients for a beauty. Both teams boast prolific goal-scores, with United looking at Ronaldo to spare their blushes, while Arsenal rely on Togolese Emmanuel Adebayor to add to his already impressive tally.

Prediction
Manchester United 2-2 Arsenal

Star-studded Barcelona was frustrated by last year’s UEFA Cup winners Sevilla in an exciting match played at the Estadio Ramoa Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.

An impressive start by the home side ensured a competitive match-up, with Victor Valdes in the Barcelona goal being made to work early in the first half. A Daniel Alves free-kick forced the Barca goalkeeper into an early acrobatic save.

Returning from a disappointing show at the just-ended African Cup of Nations, striker Freddie Kanoute came close to putting the hosts ahead with a volley from close-range mid-way in the first chapter. But Sevilla’s relentless pressure paid off a few minutes later when a beautifully-worked move started with inspirational Alves finding a well-positioned Jesus Navas before falling graciously for teen-ager Capel who made no mistake in front of goal.

The Catalans came to life in the second half thanks to a judicious move by tactician Frank Raijkaard when he brought on former Player of the Year Ronaldinho. Having the Brazilian on the pitch was in itself enough to inspire the visitor’s midfield who, after a swift pass by Argentine sensation Lionel Messi, found the solution to their problem when celebrated Spain playmaker Xavi slotted past Andres Palop with only fourteen minutes left on the clock.

A late sending-off for Mali international Seydou Keita gave Barca a chance to increase their tally, but Raijkaards men failed to take advantage with so little left on the clock.

The draw means that Barcelona stay on second place after their fierce rivals Real Madrid trounced Valladolid 7-0.

Classic Final

The 2008 AFCON reaches its climax on Sunday evening as two of Africa’s all-time heavyweights battle it out at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions get the perfect opportunity to revenge against their Egyptian counterparts who so embarrassingly disjointed them in the two teams’ opening Group C match.

Egypt come into the game from a phenomenal victory against clear tournament favorites Ivory Coast on Wednesday night. A 4-1 thumping of the 2006 runner’s up means that the Pharaohs stand a chance to increase their AFCON tally to a record six wins. After slaughtering a bull before their quarter-final match against Angola, it seems the gods have been smiling on them as everything they work on upfront seems to turn into goals. An emphatic win over Ivory Coast will definitely act as a morale booster in what should be a tightly contested match.

The Cameroonians will go into the game as underdogs, something of an advantage nowadays. A late red card for Reading defender Andre Baikey means that the four-time African champions will be without a key player in the final. Apart from that shake-up in defense, Cameroon should look to build from their previous performance as they seem to be getting better with every game. They saw off the hosts Ghana with a much disciplined performance after coach Otto Pfister had promised to “paralyze the Black Stars tactically”.

And that’s exactly what they will need to do if they are to salvage anything out of the game on Sunday. Egypt themselves are no slouches when it comes to tactical panel-beating. Their organization and professionalism were the key to unlocking the usually niggardly Ivorian defense. With playmaker Mohammad Abou Trika expected to start in the middle, the Lions will have to be on the guard. Arsenal centre-half Alexandre Song will have to be in top-form in order to come up with the answers to the Egyptian’s teasing questions.

Upfront, Barcelona’s lethal weapon Samuel Eto’o will have to step-up his game after having a less-than impressive tournament so far, by his standards. He will be relied upon to come up with something special, a moment or two of individual brilliance perhaps, if Cameroon is to penetrate the solid wall that is the Egyptian defense led by Al-Ahly rear guard Shady Muhammad.

Egypt will be looking at exploiting Cameroon’s notoriously slow and rigid defense, especially on the flanks. Wednesday’s two-goal hero Amr Zaki and Emad Motaeb will be relying on the services of Abou Trika in the middle and Hosny Abd-Rabou on the left hand side. Hamburger SV defender Timothee Atouba will be the main target, and if they fail to fire in the first half, then exciting striker Mohammad Zidan will be itching to come on from the bench.

Prediction
Egypt 3-1 Cameroon

Manchestrer United relinquished top-spot in the Barclay’s English Premier League following a nerve-wrecking encounter with Tottenham Hotspurs at White Hart Lane on Saturday. A last-second Tevez equalizer salvaged a point for the defending champions, much to the wreckage of Tottenham hearts.

The game seemed to pick up where the two teams left just a week earlier in the FA Cup where United managed to overcome the North Londoners. Spurs, with their new-found pace-based style of play, took the game to United early on, with Aaron Lennon wreaking havoc on the right and in-form Steed Malbranque doing the damage on the left. It was the England under-21 international who whipped in a terrific square-ball on the 20th minute mark after midfielder Jermaine Jenas had claimed to have been fouled in the penalty area. The cross came off goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar onto the feet of the lethal Dimitir Berbatov who had no choice but to slot into an empty net. Van der Sar was then booked for his remonstrance; the first of what would be a record seven yellow cards in one game for United this season.

Some impressive defending from the giant Tom Huddlestone put United further under pressure, with nothing going past the Spurs’ back-four. But it was on the break where the hosts took maximum advantage. The understanding between Berbatov and Keane proved to be deadly as one would continually manage to find very good opportunities for the other.

And it was the Irish captain who should have put the game beyond doubt early in the first half when he shot feebly from 18 yards with only the goalkeeper in front of him. That miss was going to be decisive. Tottenham were under pressure to take their chances from a crowd that replicated the atmosphere during the League Cup semi-final when the Spurs saw-off their city rivals Arsenal.

United found their form in the last ten minutes with the exciting Christiano Ronaldo proving to be a menace every time he had his feet on the ball. Nani for Giggs and Anderson for Scholes were substitutions designed to inflict a little bit of youth and creativity to try and get something out of the fixture. A wise decision from the master tactician Ferguson.

A last minute corner from the United’s right fell gratefully to an unmarked Carlos Tevez who made no mistake in squeezing the ball into the bottom-left hand corner from a tight angle to bring his Premier League tally to 11 goals.

The draw means that Manchester United fall one step to second spot after Arsenal comprehensively beat their Ciry rivals Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium. Tottenham will stay at the bottom half of the table with just 29 points from their 25 games, seven behind tenth placed West Ham United.

Arsenal booked a famous fifth round trip to Old Trafford on Saturday evening when they saw off a dejected Newcastle United at the Emirates. The Gunner’s 3-0 win over the side from Teesside means that they will face their fierce rivals Manchester United sometime in February.

Arsene Wenger took no chances when he made seven changes from the side that was trounced at White Hart Lane just four days before. Germany’s World Cup goalkeeper Jens Lehmann made a return to first-team football with an impressive performance. But it was the Arsenal defense that was going through stints of dryness, when, late in the first half, Gael Clichy cleared off the line from a goal-bound Allan Smith header. Kolo Toure was definitely being missed in the heart of the defense. England striker Michael Owen was dangerous, coming close to putting the Magpies in the lead but failed to connect with Steven Carr’s teaser. Arsenal’s best chance came right at the stroke of half-time when French midfielder Abou Diaby’s exquisite strike was parried away by Shay Given.

The old shooting machine came to life in the second half with a beautiful goal by in-form Emmanuel Adebayor six minutes after half-time. The Togolese was quickest to react to Eduardo’s shot coming off the post when he collected the rebound, swiveled past defender Cacapa and coolly slotted home past a defenseless Given.

The injection of momentum saw magician Cesc Fabregas raising his game in midfield alongside the lanky Diaby to provide for the likes of Eduardo upfront and stir the crowd into excitement. It was all red after that and Adebayor sealed the victory in the 83rd minute with a serpentine run through the Newcastle defenders, leaving behind three or four casualties before, again, with extreme ease, picking his spot in the bottom left hand corner of the net.

Arsenals were through, and Keegan’s reign couldn’t take a worse turn. With only a minute left on the clock, Nicky Butt, former Manchester United midfielder, put the game beyond doubt when he unwittingly headed into his own goal from a well-taken Fabregas free-kick.

The win puts Arsenal in pole-position as the two sides meet again on Tuesday night, this time in the English Premier League.

Arsenal got a beating of their lives at an electric White Hart Lane on Tuesday night. Spurs, coming into the second leg of the competition from a fantastic performance in the opening tie at the Emirates tore their North London rivals to shreds in perhaps one of the most famous nights in the history of the club.

An early strike by England midfielder Jermaine Jenas put the home side in the lead adding an extra volt to the already energized atmosphere. The gunners found it difficult to play their usual quick-passing game as they were completely closed down by a resilient Tottneham defense led by captain Ledley King. One of comparatively few corners for Spurs put them further in the lead thanks to a misguided header by Arsenal’s young Danish striker Nicklas Bendtener in the 27th minute.

Arsene Wenger’s League Cup policy of featuring mostly fringe players was somewhat disturbed as he was forced to bring on his celebrated young Spanish playmaker Cesc Fabregas early in the first half after Brazilin midfielder Denilson pulled a hamstring. Fabregas brought some stability to the Arsenal midfield but was frustrated by lack of mobility from his strikers, Bendtener and Walcott. On the other end, Dimitr Berbatov and Roby Keane were dangerous, especially on the break. And it was the former Republic of Ireland forward that nailed another coffin to the young Gunners early in the second half.

A series of fruitless second-half corners left Arsenal’s backline vulnerable and Tottenham made full use of the absence of Ivory Coast tower Kolo Toure and his natural replacement in the name of Phillipe Senderos. The sheer speed and trickery of young England international Aaron Lennon proved too much to bear for the likes of Arman Traroe at the back for Arsenal, when Lennon scored with a striker’s instinct in the 60th minute much to the disgust of some traveling fans who at this point decided that they had had enough.

Arsenal brought on BBC’s African Player of the Year Emmanuel Adebayor and their new-found revelation Eduardo to try and shake things up upfront. It was their top-scorer this season, though, who managed to spare their blushes after a cracking effort from just outside the box in the 65th.

Surely it wasn’t going to be a spectacular comeback to prevent Juande Ramos a coveted cup-final in his first season. And it wasn’t. Relentless Arsenal pressure in the dying minutes of the match further exposed their impotent defense as yet another counter-attack led by the second-half substitutes Prince Boateng and Jermaine Defoe found Jermaine Jenas who did exceptionally well to release an unmarked Steed Malbranque to add one more to the already emphatic score line.

The demolition of Wenger’s men ends Tottenham’s unimpressive run against their neighbors, with their second victory in close to nine years. They book a place in the finals against another London rival, Chelsea, in what should be a breathtaking encounter.

Liverpool’s woes continue as they leave it late to earn a point at home against in-form Villa who are level on points with the Reds although the latter have a game in hand.

The team from Merseyside took an early lead when Yossi Banayoun struck in the 19th minute. The 42000-odd fans at Anfield watched an exciting Liverpool, with Rafa Benitez fielding arguably his best side. Some solid midfield play by Gerrard and Mascherano allowed Liverpool to trouble the Villa defense, with Benayoun coming close to netting his second in the 31st minute, and Torres’ effort going just wide a few moments later.

The long ball was one of very few options for Villa, causing some menace on the Liverpool half especially when former Valencia striker John Carew got at the end of them.

Liverpool’s wastefulness was highlighted when Aston Villa scored the equalizer deep in the second half. Harewood’s 69th minute spectacular overhead kick gave the visitor the confidence they needed to go ahead when, moments later, Olef Mellberg’s effort was deflected past Reina.

But a famous victory it wasn’t going to be for Villa, as, with only two minutes from time, lanky striker Peter Croutch outstretched his leg to connect with the ball from ten yards.

The result further dents Liverpool’s prospects of even a Champions League spot as they fall a Herculean 14 points behind the leaders and defending champions. Aston Villa will be smiling as they climb to 40 points on a coveted 6th position, just two points behind Eveton on 4th, and 3 above Portsmouth who are 8th.

Africa's Finest

What better day to make my blog debut than on the eve of what should be the most exciting African Nations Cup final ever.

Welcome, everyone, to this, my new-found world. After so many years of informal chit-chatting and fact-extracting (in the middle of the streets even), finally, we (you, my audience, are as much of this as anyone else) get a more civilized playing field, where debates can be carried out in a more orderly manner. Don’t hesitate to send me all your feedback, either directly on the blog, or on my e-mail (chienda.jeremiaha@hotmail.com).

Without further ado, let’s introduce the maiden topic: who will conquer in Ghana?

A lot of people will be quick to say: Ghana! Woo, wo, wait up, Ghana is a strong side, particularly in defense, and they are hosting this year’s tournament, but they don’t exactly have a world-renowned attacking force, and they will be missing their midfield kingpin Steven Appiah. Not only does the former Hearts of Oak star provide some presence in the middle of the park, forming a formidable partnership with the fan’s favorite, Michael Essien; Appiah inspires confidence in the Black Stars, being one of the longest serving members of the team and a general role-model to most of the young guns coming through the ranks. A big blow certainly.

My personal pick in terms of entertainment value is none other that Nigeria’s Super Eagles. The two-time African Champions have got an embarrassment of riches upfront: a mixture of strength, skill, and speed. Watching Berti Vogts’ men should be a something of a spectacle. My only reservation with the Nija’s is their brittle defense. Apart from goalkeeper Austin Ejide and Everton sweeper Joseph Yobo, I don’t see any other characters that can soak up the pressure, at a later stage off course, by, let’s say, the Ivorians. Nigeria’s full squad at the finals consists of only four midfielders against an incredible eight strikers, further highlighting their attack-centric-ness.

In recent years, there has always been a buzz about one team coming into the tournament: the Indomitable Lions. This year, they hasn’t. But that should not rule out the amount of experience and physique that the Cameroonians possess. Plus, I believe that any team that has Samuel Eto’o playing for them should never be ruled out, of anything!

My one concern in the past few days has been: why is no one talking about the North Africans? It seems the most common answer is: because they don’t travel very well. Excuse me, I find that a little too naïve in this day and age, to make such an inconclusive statement. Morocco has got one of the most impressive young squads at the tournament, nurtured by one of the best, in the name of former Ivory Coast mentor, Henri Michel, and their recent performances allow them to be feared. Tunisia boast the tournament’s qualifying round’s top scorer Issam Gonaa and Egypt are not defending champions and five-time winners for nothing.

I feel Mali can be enjoying to watch, with an array of well-statured, skillful players like Sevilla sorcerer Freddie Kanoute and Liverpool midfield-man Momo Sissokko. But a gold medal for them is a little too far-fetched, provided the permeability of their backline. Angola will be a revelation; Bafana Bafana will have something to prove two years before 2010. Sudan will add some authenticity to the tournament, while Benin, Guinea and Namibia will be happy just to be on the pitch.

But anyone with some sense in their head will have to fancy the Ivorians to come out victorious. They were unlucky last time, and I don’t think life’s as cruel as to deprive them another opportunity to put their names in the record books for the second time. Their squad is simply complete, they have the best players in all positions, and they seem to be all fit and ready to go as well. Ivory Coast should be somewhere around there come February the 10th.

What do you think?

Teaser: Did you notice one title-contender that I missed out?