Salah go fit win Afcon 2023 title even wit di strong contenders?

Mohamed Salah don dey look to captain Egypt team to record-extending eighth victory wen di 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) start for Ivory Coast on Saturday afta dem finish as runner-up wit di Pharaohs twice.

Di Liverpool forward bin miss out on penalties for di 2021 Afcon final against Senegal, as former Reds team-mate Sadio Mane net di winning spot-kick.

Di defending champions solidly dey among di favourites to lift di trophy but dem dey face threats from across di continent - as di tournament no dey predictable plus di fact say di past seven editions don produce seven different winners.

Morocco na Africa top-rank team. E dey 13th position for di world afta dia historic run to di semi-finals for di 2022 World Cup, while Nigeria fit boast di striking firepower of African Footballer of di Year, Victor Osimhen.

Hosting kontri, Ivory Coast dey bid for first title since 2015 and Algeria go dey find huge improvement afta dem crash out as holders for di group stage two years ago.

"I no fit recall stronger field," Senegal forward Mane, wey dey play im club football for Saudi Arabia now, tok.

"All di giants go dey Ivory Coast and na all of dem dey plan to dethrone us. I believe [dis] Nations Cup go be di toughest to win."

Di 24-team format go see di top two for each of di six groups qualify for di last 16, as di four best third-place side dem go also progress go di knockout stage wia di overall winners go pick up $7m (£5.5m) in prize money.

BBC viewers for UK go see 10 games live, including two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and final on 11 February, while di World Football forAfcon podcast go get discussion afta every matchday.

Originally, dem schedule to play di tournament for June and July last year, but dem gatz shift am to early 2024 to avoid West Africa rainy season.

Club vs country dilemma

Di switch to play di tournament for di middle of di European season for di second time running don cause club versus kontri debate to flare up again, as dis go make Salah step away from Liverpool Premier League title challenge afta e net 14 league goals so far for dis season.r League title challenge afta netting 14 league goals so far dis season.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp fit don joke about how e hope di 31-year-old forward go return to Anfield soon, but Salah no get any regrets.

"I wan win dis competition as I don come so close to am twice," im tok, bifor di North Africans leave for Ivory Coast.

"I dey happy to play for dis wonderful African tournament and my team-mates and I dey desperate to succeed. Every time I step on top pitch I dey conscious of my role - I dey represent millions of Egyptians.

"We know di streets of Cairo and oda cities, towns plus oda villages go dey empty wen we play."

Yet dem don blast Manchester United and Andre Onana dem as "out of touch" afta di Cameroon goalkeeper decide say im go stay wit di Red Devils for dia Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Di 27-year-old, wey don endure dips in form since im move to Old Trafford for July, don dey expect say e go miss im kontri Group C opener against Guinea on Monday.

"For me, dis dey disrespectful from United and e dey really low for Onana to even consider am," former Indomitable Lions defender Sebastien Bassong tell di BBC World Football for Afcon podcast.

Wit forward Bryan Mbeumo injury, Vincent Aboubakar go again lead di line for five-time winners Cameroon afta im eight-goal haul win di golden boot for di last edition.

Di oda contenders

Morocco dey popular among di favourites - wit Paris St-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi stand-out talent - but na almost half a century since di Atlas Lions don win dia sole continental title for 1976.

Quarter-finalists last time out, Walid Regragui side go also need to overcome whatever mental hurdles dem go need to reach first Afcon semi-final since dem be runners-up for 2004.

Morocco go face Tanzania, di only representatives from East Africa, and former champions DR Congo and Zambia for Group F.

Shock 2012 winners Zambia, wey former Chelsea and Ghana coach Avram Grant dey manage dey impressed in qualifying afta e miss di past three tournaments.

"We dey go there go fight and to bring pride again come our kontri, mother Zambia, and to just make sure say we get di best out of dis tournament – no be only for ourselves, but for our nation as well," Copper Bullets striker Patson Daka tell BBC Sport Africa.

Burkina Faso don reach di last four for Cameroon two years ago and join Mali among di dark horses for di title, wit Tunisia wey lead wit di experience of Youssef Msakni, wey don set to play at di record-equalling eighth Afcon finals.

Nigeria na three-time winners yet dia hope appear to dey rest on di threat of Osimhen, wey finish eighth for di 2023 Ballon d'Or afta e fire Napoli to first Serie A title in 33 years.

However, di West Africans don dey hit by injuries to forward Victor Boniface and influential midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, and supporters bin don condemn Super Eagles boss Jose Peseiro for both selection and recent results.

"We dey capable of winning dis tournament becos di squad dey pack wit players wey dey perform exceptionally well for dia European clubs," Osimhen tok.

Ghana, wey former Newcastle and Brighton manager Chris Hughton coach, don come under fire afta e endure mixed start for 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Di Black Stars, four-time continental champions, bin fail to progress from dia group for di 2021 Afcon and dem bin dey di same Group B wit Egypt.

West Ham Mohammed Kudus don emerge as Ghana star man, but fellow forward Andre Ayew dey present for im 8th Afcon and e fit become di first player to score for seven different editions.

Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy, wit 17 goals for 14 Bundesliga outings dis season, fit help Guinea go far for tournament wey go likely spring surprises, wit both unfancied Equatorial Guinea and debutants Di Gambia reaching di quarter-finals at di 2021 finals.

Cape Verde, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau don become regular qualifiers, but di latter two sides still dey await dia first victories for di finals.

South Africa, 1996 champions, don come back and dem boast of strong players from Pretoria-based club side Mamelodi Sundowns, winners of di inaugural African Football League, while Angola, Namibia and Mozambique complete di contenders from di south of di continent.

Na Rob Stevens and Eshlin Vedan comply am.