Countdown To Angola 2010

Flavio Armado and Anthar Yahia

Group A
With barely four days for the 27th edition of the Nations Cup, the biggest sports showpiece in Africa, to kick-start in Angola, preparation for the three-week tourney has intensified, as the various countries round up their pre-tournament training.  

DAILY GUIDE SPORTS previews the
competition with emphasis on the 16 teams.
Group A comprises hosts Angola,
Algeria,
Mali and Malawi
Angola
The Black Antelopes, branded in Portuguese as the Palancas Negras, hosts of the competition, would be counting on home advantage to win the Africa Nations Cup for the first time in their history.

They have participated in the CAN competition six times and only got to the second round of the last competition held in Ghana. Their only major triumph is the Cosafa Cup, a competition meant for Central, Eastern and Southern African countries which they have won three times in 1999, 2001 and 2004.  

Though they failed to reach the World Cup to be held in South Africa for the second time, Angolan football has been on the rise and the Palancas Negras could be one of the favorites in Group A.

At the last World Cup (2006) in Germany, they earned two points after draws with Mexico and Iran and a 0-1 loss to colonial masters Portugal.

Currently ranked 92nd by FIFA in the Coca Cola rankings, the Palancas Negras would be counting on the exploits of strikers Manucho of Spanish side Real Vallodolid, Flavio Armado of Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia and Mantorras of Benfica to brush aside Mali and Algeria, two of the strongest sides in the group.

Their opening game against Mali would indeed be a cracker.

Star Player
Flavio Armado
Born on December 30, 1979, Flávio Armado da silva has been a member of the national team for sometime now, scoring Angola's only goal of the World Cup 2006- a header against Iran.

He scored 3 goals for Angola in African Cup of Nations Egypt 2006, although they crashed out after the first round. His goals were against Cameroon and Togo.

He helped his team, Al-Ahly to participate in the FIFA Club World Championship, two successive times in 2005 and 2006. In the opening match of FIFA Club World Championship 2006 against Auckland City FC of New Zealand, December 10 2006, Flavio scored the first goal with an accurate shot, giving Al-Ahly a 2-0 win.

He currently plays for Al Shabaab in Saudi Arabia
 Algeria
After witnessing a slump in their football for almost a decade, the Desert Foxes are back as strong contenders in African football, qualifying for June's World Cup ahead of Egypt, Zambia and Rwanda in Group C.

Having some notable players plying their trade in Europe's top leagues including Portsmouth of England, Lyon of France and Hearts of Scotland, they could pull a surprise by winning the Nations Cup for the second time after last winning it in 1990 when they hosted the competition.

With veteran coach Rabah Saadane at the helm of affairs, the Desert Foxes can be potential winners of the tournament.  They leap-frogged in the Coca/Cola FIFA rankings on December 29, to reach the 26th position- their best ever record.

They have appeared in the Nations Cup 14 times, with their last appearance being in 2004 in Tunisia, but they were eliminated by eventual finalists Morocco. Some of their key players are Madjid Bougherra of Glasgow Rangers, Hassan Yebda of Portsmouth, Anthar Yahia of FC Bochum who scored some crucial goals during the qualifiers and Karim Ziani of Wolfsburg.

Star Player
Anthar Yahia
Born in Mulhouse, France some 27 years ago, Yahia currently plays for German club VfL Bochum.

His family are originally from Sedrata in Algeria and he lived there briefly during his childhood before returning to France.

The 1m 84cm tall player started his professional career at Corsican side SC Bastia after he returned from an unsuccessful stint at Inter Milan. After four successful years at Corsica, Yahia was transferred to OGC Nice.  In the first season he played most of the games but in the end he became a substitute so he decided to move on to another club.

Yahia started his international career on January 15, 2004 against Mali in preparation for the Africa Nations Cup. He has 38 caps and scored 4 goals

In November 2009, he scored the only goal in a play-off against Egypt to secure Algeria's place in the 2010 World Cup.

Mali
Nicknamed the Eagles of Mali, they have been highly rated by their own coach, Nigerian Stephen Keshie, as one of the favorites to win the cup.

According to Keshie, Mali have some brilliant stars, playing top notch football in Europe. They include Seydou Keita of Barcelona in Spain, Frederic Kanoute of Sevilla also in Spain and Mahmadou Ssissoko of Juventus in Italy, making them one of the favorites.

This would be their sixth appearance at Africa's biggest competition, reaching the finals in 1972. They failed to go past the first round in the last competition hosted by Ghana.

Mali, who qualified together with Ghana and Benin, could surprise many at the Nations Cup this time around and would have to fight for a place in the next round with World Cup participants Algeria and hosts Angola

Star Player
Frederic Kanoute
The French born player has failed to win any laurels for Mali since he first played his maiden Nations Cup in Tunisia in 2004. But his current form alongside other high profile players in the team could help Mali go far in the competition this time around.

Having a formidable coach in the person of Keshie, who qualified Togo to its first ever World Cup in Germany, Kanoute could get some few tricks from him to bang in the needed goals.

The 33-year-old has been in fine form for Sevilla in the Spanish La Liga and his pace, strength and technique would be a valuable asset to Mali's cause.

Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year and is the first foreign-born player to win it.

Malawi
The Flames of Malawi have been in fine form prior to the competition which starts this weekend, holding defending champions Egypt to a draw.

Though tagged as the whipping boys in Group E of the qualifiers, Malawi qualified alongside Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso ahead of Guinea for their second appearance. They last played in the Nations Cup in 1984 and their best performance was winning the bronze medal at the 1987 All-Africa Games.

Most of their players ply their trade at home or the neighboring South African League. They don't have any star players and would find it difficult to qualify for the second round in this group.