Ahead of the upcoming AFCON tournament, Live Soccer TV takes a look at the Ivory Coast's squad. How far can they go at AFCON 2019?

What is the Ivory Coast's history in the AFCON?

A two-time winner of the AFCON (in 1992 and 2015), the Ivory Coast will be making their 23rd appearance when Egypt host the bi-annual event just around the corner. They will obviously be hoping to do much better this time around than in 2017, when the then-reigning champions shockingly crashed out at the group stage.

Here's all you need to know about the Ivory Coast as Les Éléphants prepare to return to a very familiar stage this summer. 

What is the Ivory Coast's full squad list for the 2019 AFCON?

Goalkeepers: Ali Badra (Free State Stars), Tape Ira (FC San Pedro), Sylvain Gbohouo (TP Mazembe)

Defenders: Ismaël Traoré (Angers), Mamadou Bagayoko (Red Star), Cheikh Comara (Wydad Casablanca), Souleyman Bamba (Rennes), Serge Aurier (Tottenham), Wilfried Kanon (ADO The Hague), Wonlo Coulibaly (ASEC Mimosas)

Midfielders: Jean-Michaël Seri (Fulham), Victorian Angban (Metz), Franck Kessié (AC Milan), Ibrahim Sangaré (Toulouse), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz), Geoffrey Serey Dié (Neuchâtel Xamax)

Strikers: Nicolas Pépé (Lille), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa), Roger Assalé (Young Boys Bern), Maxwel Cornet (Lyon), Wilfried Bony (Unattached), Max-Alain Gradel (Toulouse)

Who are the key players to watch for the Ivory Coast at the 2019 AFCON?

Nicolas Pepe: The tall striker had an excellent season with Lille as he netted 22 goals in Ligue 1 to help Les Dogues finish second only behind runaway leaders PSG. Pepe was also just behind Les Parisiens' young star Kylian Mbappe in the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts, and his national side will certainly hope he can replicate that same strong form for them at this summer's AFCON tournament.

Franck Kessié: The young midfielder had a tricky sophomore campaign with AC Milan this season as the Rossoneri once again failed to qualify for the Champions League and crashed out early from the Europa League. Nonetheless, he still managed to net seven times in 34 league appearances, which matched his highest output during his highly successful season with Atalanta during the 2016/2017 season. If he can consistently put in strong showings, he has certainly demonstrated during his time with La Dea and the Rossoneri that he can have a huge impact. 

Who is the Ivory Coast's coach?

Les Éléphants will be guided by Ibrahim Kamara this summer. The 53-year-old will be looking to have better luck at this tournament than he did at the 2018 African Nations Championship, during which the Ivory Coast finished bottom of their quartet with just one point - and without scoring a single goal. This will be his first major competition while in charge of the full senior squad.

What are the odds of the Ivory Coast winning the 2019 AFCON?

On paper, the Ivory Coast do have a pretty solid squad, and it's important to remember that they did win this tournament as recently as 2015. However, they will face some really stiff competition from the likes of Cameroon, Egypt, and Senegal, with teams like Ghana and Algeria also hoping to make some kind of impact. So all in all, it really depends on what version of the Ivory Coast decides to show up - as they surprisingly ended up as finishing as runners-up in their group behind Guinea. Manchester United's Eric Bailly was not selected for the team, despite scoring twice during qualifiers, so clearly Kamara has opted to go in another direction when it comes to lining up his defense.

Will it pay off? We'll have to see. 

How can I watch the Ivory Coast's 2019 AFCON matches?

The Ivory Coast will face South Africa, Morocco, and Namibia in their group stage matches, and here's how you can see them in action from wherever you are based:

 

Detalhes do jogo, resultados e informações da transmissão original

Costa do Marfim 1 - 0 África do Sul

junho 24, 2019 10:30Al Salam Stadium (Cairo Military Production Stadium) (al-Qāhirah (Cairo))

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Marrocos 1 - 0 Costa do Marfim

junho 28, 2019 1:00Al Salam Stadium (Cairo Military Production Stadium) (al-Qāhirah (Cairo))

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Namíbia 1 - 4 Costa do Marfim

julho 1, 2019 12:0030 June Air Defence Stadium (al-Qāhirah (Cairo))

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