As the Africa Cup of Nations 2024 is set to kick off, Djamel Belmadi, the coach of Algeria, identifies hosts Ivory Coast as the team to beat. Despite the historical challenge for host nations, Belmadi believes the Ivorian Elephants, two-time champions in 1992 and 2015, possess a formidable squad capable of winning the tournament.
Contrary to suggestions of Algeria being strong contenders, Belmadi downplays their favoritism, citing their elimination in the first round of the previous edition and failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Among the perspectives of 10 coaches participating in the tournament, Collin Benjamin of Namibia expresses determination to secure Namibia's first victory in the Cup of Nations after nine unsuccessful attempts. Djamel Belmadi acknowledges strong contenders like Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia, excluding Algeria.
Sebastien Desabre of DR Congo aims to reach the quarterfinals, emphasizing Morocco's favoritism after their 2022 World Cup semifinal appearance. Guinea's Kaba Diawara embraces the tough first-round group with optimism, seeing it as motivation to exceed expectations.
Ivory Coast's Jean-Louis Gasset emphasizes the incredible support of the entire nation and anticipates the challenge of facing Nigeria in the first round. Chris Hughton of Ghana acknowledges the disappointment of the previous tournament but looks forward to surpassing the first round.
Nigeria's Jose Peseiro accepts the group's challenging nature, considering all opponents, including Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Guinea-Bissau, as dangerous. Morocco's Walid Regragui reflects on the progress of African teams since their historic World Cup semifinal, identifying Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria as Cup of Nations favorites.
Gambia's Tom Saintfiet expresses the fulfillment of a long-time wish to face Senegal and acknowledges challenges against Cameroon and Guinea. Rui Vitoria of Egypt is conscious of Egypt's Cup of Nations record, aiming for outright victory, treating each match as a final.
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