The Ivory Coast AFCON 2023 squad has been announced as the hosts look to win a first tournament since the days of Toure, Drogba and co.
Hosting a major international tournament is inevitably something of a double-edged sword. Huge partisan crowds can help roar a team on to victory, or ratchet up the pressure to intolerable levels.
There are plenty of instances of teams making home advantage count, but others have succumbed to the weight of expectation. Ivory Coast fans will be hoping it's the former for them as they welcome 23 other nations for the latest AFCON.
The Elephants have already been champions of Africa twice before - in 1992 and 2015 - and are determined to make it a hat-trick in front of their own supporters.
Although Jean-Louis Gasset's side are ranked 49th in the world - behind seven other African countries - they are confident that they have enough ability to bridge that gap on home turf.
Willy Boly and Evan Ndicka anchor a solid defence, with Frank Kessie and Seko Fofana offering technical quality in front of them. There is lots of pace and skill amongst their wide options and, if he starts, Sebastien Haller will be keen to recapture his best form.
Wilfried Zaha was a surprise omission having adapted well to life at Galatasaray, with former Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly, now at Villarreal, also missing out.
Ivory Coast AFCON 2023 squad
Ivory Coast AFCON 2023 squad: The final 27-man team
- GK: Yahia Fofana (Angers)
- GK: Charles Folly (Asec Mimosas)
- GK: Badra Ali (Sekhukhune United)
- DF: Serge Aurier (Nottingham Forest)
- DF: Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest)
- DF: Ismael Diallo (Hajduk Split)
- DF: Ousmane Diomande (Sporting Lisbon)
- DF: Ghislain Konan (Al-Feiha)
- DF: Evans Ndicka (Roma)
- DF: Odilon Kossonou (Bayer Leverkusen)
- DF: Ahmed Touba (Lecce)
- DF: Wilfried Singo (Monaco)
- MF: Jean-Thierry Amani Lazare (Union Saint-Gilloise)
- MF: Idrissa Doumbia (Alanyaspor)
- MF: Seko Fofana (Al-Nassr)
- MF: Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest)
- MF: Franck Kessie (Al-Ahli)
- MF: Jean-Michael Seri (Hull City)
- MF: Max Gradel (Gaziantep)
- MF: Jeremie Boga (Nice)
- FW: Simon Adingra (Brighton and Hove Albion)
- FW: Jonathan Bamba (Celta Vigo)
- FW: Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund)
- FW: Karim Konate (RB Salzburg)
- FW: Christian Kouame (Fiorentina)
- FW: Jean-Philippe Krasso (Red Star Belgrade)
- FW: Oumar Diakite (Reims)
- FW: Nicolas Pepe (Trabzonspor)
Ivory Coast top scorers
1 goal: Seko Fofana, Jean-Philippe Krasso
Ivory Coast yellow cards
1 yellow: Evan Ndicka, Ibrahim Sangare
Ivory Coast manager
Who is Ivory Coast's manager for AFCON 2023?
Jean-Louis Gasset served as Laurent Blanc's trusted assistant at Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team. His managerial stints have often been brief, but he impressed in 18 months in charge of Saint-Etienne before resigning over disagreements with the board. He took on the Ivory Coast job in May 2022.
Ivory Coast star player
Who is Ivory Coast's best player?
Evan Ndicka brings youth and athleticism to an ageing defence where Willy Boly and captain Serge Aurier are still mainstays. The 24-year-old centre-back, who left Eintracht Frankfurt to join Roma last summer, has quickly established himself in the Ivory Coast team after switching his international allegiance from France. The promising Ousmane Diomande waits in the wings.
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