Five facts for the Africa Cup of Nations Group A match between Equatorial Guinea and Congo Brazzaville in Bata on Saturday:
FILE PICTURE: Marvin Baudry of Congo during the AFCON 2015 Qualifier match between South Africa and Congo at Peter Mokaba Stadium on October 15, 2014 in Polokwane, South Africa. (Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images)
BATA, Equatorial Guinea (AFP)
As hosts, Equatorial Guinea are automatically the top seeds in the mini-league despite being placed below Congo, Gabon and Burkina Faso in the January FIFA rankings.
Charismatic France-born Congo coach Claude Le Roy is set to make a record-extending eighth appearance at a tournament he won with Cameroon in Casablanca 27 years ago.
Claude le Roy.Photo by Anesh Debiky / Gallo Images
Congo defeated Mali 3-2 in the 1972 Cup of Nations final in Yaounde while co-hosts Equatorial Guinea reached the quarter-finals in their previous appearance three years ago.
Argentina-born Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker has his eye on a male-female Cup of Nations title double having succeeded with the women’s team three years ago.
Fourteen of the 23-man Equatorial Guinea squad were born in Spain, but qualify to play for the ‘National Thunder’ because a parent or grandparent hails from the central African state.
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