Top attackers set to shine at the CAN (January 13-February 11)

From the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, who dreams of finally extending his reign to Africa, to the Guinean Serhou Guirassy, ​​insatiable scorer with Stuttgart, great attackers can shine at the CAN (January 13-February 11).

Salah (Egypt) dreams of an African crown

If Mohamed Salah has won everything with Liverpool, he collects disappointments with Egypt, with two CAN finals lost (2017 and 2022) and a failed world play-off against Senegal (1-0/0-1 3 tab to 1) . This time will perhaps be the right one for the idol of the “Pharaohs”, who has already played 17 African Cup matches (6 goals). “We will play every match like a final,” he promises.

Haller (Ivory Coast), time to confirm

With only eight goals in 21 caps, Sébastien Haller is not yet effective enough for a top striker. He had only scored one goal in 2022 in Cameroon. He has since treated a serious illness, testicular cancer, and has a golden opportunity to make the “Elephants” triumph with this CAN at home. “We saw a lot of veterans who would have liked to be in our place, it’s important to realize how lucky we are to play a CAN in our country,” he emphasizes.

Sebastien Haller

Credit: Getty Images

Osimhen (Nigeria), the revenger

Victor Osimhen, fresh African player of the year 2023, has a double revenge to take with Nigeria. He missed the last CAN due to injury, after trying everything to participate, and the “Super Eagles” missed the 2022 World Cup by failing in the play-offs, leaving the Neapolitan inconsolable. He remains the figurehead of Nigeria’s brilliant forward line despite Victor Boniface’s pre-tournament injury.

Victor Osimhen with the Nigerian Super Eagles

Credit: Imago

En-Nesyri (Morocco), hero of the continent

All of Africa remembers Youssef En-Nesyri’s historic goal during the Morocco-Portugal quarter-final (1-0), which sent an African team to the semi-final of a World Cup for the first time. En-Nesyri must export this success to the CAN, where he scored four goals in 12 matches and especially missed his shot on goal in the round of 16 against Benin in 2019 (1-1, 4 tab to 1). In addition to his fantastic heading, he is a team player. “He already had a sense of sacrifice at a very young age, we didn’t have a lot of work,” coach Nasser Larguet, who discovered it at the Mohammed VI Academy, told AFP.

Guirassy (Guinea), the missing piece

Two years ago, the national “Sily” (Elephant) scored only two goals in four matches, stopping in the round of 16. Efficiency is precisely the strong point of Serhou Guirassy, ​​currently injured and who has proven to be a formidable scorer in the Bundesliga where he has just scored 19 goals in 16 matches with Stuttgart. After refusing the selection, he let himself be convinced by Kaba Diawara, who was looking for a scorer.

2024-01-12 22:45:00
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