AFCON 2023: Preview and prediction of Group D

In a few days, the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations starts in Ivory Coast, where many teams will battle it out for Africa’s grand prize.

Senegal are the current champions of the competition and are expected to be rivalled by many teams all seeking for glory in this edition.

Group D presents Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Here is a preview of the group.

Algeria

Algeria sealed a place at this year’s AFCON after topping Group F, which included Tanzania, Uganda and Niger in the qualifiers.

The 2019 winners run unbeaten in the process, winning five and drawing only one of their six matches.

The Desert Foxes will be making their 20th AFCON appearance in this tournament and will look to make a strong case for themselves after being eliminated in the group stage in the previous edition.

Djamel Belmadi’s team will have skipper Riyad Mahrez, Ismael Bennacer, Rayan Ait Nouri and many top players in their squad ready to turn their fortunes around this campaign.

Algeria are considered one of the favourites to progress from this group, yet the Foxes must showcase convincing performances if they want to earn their reputation back this time around.

Angola

The Palancas Negras finished second in the qualifying series behind Ghana in Group E, edging past Madagascar and Central Africa Republic.

Angola won two, drew three and lost only one match to seal qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Southern Africa side will be making their ninth appearance at this edition and will hope to make a strong impression after their absence in the previous tournament.

Angola will take on Algeria in their opening group game on January 15, the Mauritania and Burkina Faso on January 20th and 23rd respectively.

Burkina Faso

After finishing fourth in the previous edition in Cameroon, The Stallions booked a place in this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations after topping Group B in the qualifiers.

The West African side won three, drew two and lost one of their six matches against Togo, Cape Verde and Eswatini.

The Stallions will be making their thirteenth appearance in Africa’s premium competition and will look to make a better finish than they did in the previous edition.

Moreover, the 2013 finalists will have key players like Herve Koffi, Edmond Tapsoba, Gustavo Sangaré, Bertrand Traoré and Dango Ouattara all available, in their quest to book a place in the next round of the competition.

Mauritania

The Lions of Chinguetti secured a place in this tournament after finishing second in Group I in the AFCON qualifiers.

In a group with Gabon, DR Congo and Sudan, Mauritania picked up three wins, a draw and two losses after six matches.

Having made their debut in the 2019 edition, the Chinguetti Lions will be making their third appearance at this tournament after being eliminated in the group stages twice.

Mauritania will take on Burkina Faso in their group opener on January 16, Angola and Algeria on 20th and 23rd January respectively.

Algeria and Burkina Faso look favourites to make the next round of the competition, yet need to find their cutting edge in front of goal early on in the tournament to avoid risking elimination.