In the small game of elite clubs depopulated by CAN 2024, Lorient joined Marseille at the top of the ranking. Like the Marseillais, the Merlus had to let seven players fly to the Ivory Coast, where the competition begins on January 13.
Aliou Cissé, the Senegal coach, called on striker Bamba Dieng and goalkeeper Alfred Gomis as reinforcements to compensate for the withdrawals of Boulaye Dia and Sény Dieng. The Senegalese are the defending champions (they beat Egypt on penalties during the last edition). They will enter the competition on January 15 when they face Gambia.
These departures to join the Lions of Teranga are in addition to those of Darlin Yongwa (Cameroon), Sirine Doucouré (Mali), Gédéon Kalulu (Democratic Republic of Congo), Formose Mendy (Senegal) and Montassar Talbi (Tunisia).
On the Marseille side, the squad will be without Simon Ngapandouetnbu (Cameroon), Amine Harit (Morocco), Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco), Chancel Mbemba (Democratic Republic of Congo), Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal), Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) and Pape Gueye (Senegal).
The competition will kick off on Saturday January 13 at 9 p.m., with the clash between Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau. The first three days of the CAN will take place until Wednesday January 24. The knockout phase will begin with the round of 16 from January 27 to 29.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for February 2, before the semi-finals, scheduled for February 7. As for the finalist teams, they face each other on February 11, at the Ouattara stadium in Abidjan.
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