MX23RW : Thursday, July 4 14:53:23| >> :600:2167440:2167440:

Africa Cup of Nations Preview: Equatorial Guinea

Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea enter the Africa Cup of Nations with a new and unknown coach. Sports Mole assesses his chances of guiding the nation to glory.

Co-host Equatorial Guinea's preparation for the tournament was rocked two weeks ago by the decision of coach Henri Michel to quit his post.

The veteran Frenchman, who cited interference from officials as his reason to leave, was promptly replaced by the unknown Gilson Paulo.

Paulo's appointment has not been well received in Equatorial Guinea, with supporters deciding to back the departed Michel.

Guinea appear lower in the FIFA rankings than any other team in the competition.

Group: A

Players to watch out for:

Javier Balbao

Fans of Real Madrid may be aware of Balbao, who was signed by Fabio Capello in 2005 during his stint at the Bernabeu. Despite making a few appearances in the Champions League, midfielder Balbao was unable to force his way into Capello's plans and was sold to Benfica. He is currently playing for Portuguese club Beira Mar.

Rodolfo Bodipo

Veteran defender Bodipo played no part in the qualification process, but has been called up to the squad following Michel's departure. The Deportivo centre-back has also been appointed the skipper for the tournament.

Previous best: N/A

Odds outright to win: 80/1

Sports Mole says: Group stages

ID:13695: cacheID:13695:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2549:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!