Burkina Faso and Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba has named Senegal, Morocco, and host nation Ivory Coast as the favorites to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The tournament kicks off in just 56 hours 42 minutes, and many have predicted who will come out victorious come the final on 11th February.
Tapsoba who has earned over 35 caps for the Stallions did not name Burkina Faso as one of the frontrunners for the golden trophy.
Instead, he picked Aliou Cissé's Senegal, the reigning champions, having won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021.
The Bayer Leverkusen centre-back began by explaining his reasons for not backing Ghana.
“The Africa Cup of Nations is special for us,” Tapsoba told ONTime Sports.
Burkina Faso has been paired in Group D of the continental showpiece along with Algeria, Angola, and Mauritania as they face the latter in their opening fixture on Tuesday, January 14.
“We are stronger than we have been in previous editions because we have improved a lot in every position.
"There is no small team. Everyone is improving and we have been so it can be said that we are in a difficult group.
“We played against Algeria in the last World Cup qualifiers, and they have good players and a good team just like Angola do.
“The same can be said about Mauritania because we played them two months ago and only managed a draw, so they are a strong team.
“I can say that Morocco, Senegal, and Ivory Coast will have a higher chance of winning the tournament than other participating teams.”
By: Pascal Amoah
