Tuesday January 20, 2015 Estadio de Malabo @ 7pm Ugandan Time
Cote d’Ivoire start the hunt for their second Africa Nations Cup title with a date against Guinea at Estadio de Malabo on Tuesday evening in a fixture that open group D.
The 1992 champions head into the game with a star studded squad that has among others CAF Glo African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure, new Manchester City signing Wilfried Bony, Seydou Doumbia and Gervinho among others and the 2012 title winning coach Herve Renard.
Speaking to BBC Football, Renard admitted he is wary of the threat posed by Guinea but says there is no excuse as they want to start well.
We have had a super training camp where the players were very receptive. For the moment everything is great but the most important thing is the competition. Guinea are difficult opponents with lots of pace. They have a coach who has been there for four and a half years and does a good job so we need to be wary so that we don’t get caught out and start well.
Meanwhile, Guinea who edged Uganda 2-0 to reach the finals will miss the services of skipper Kamil Zayatte but will look to Seydouba Souma, Sylla Idrissa and Ibrahim Traore for inspiration.