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Ghana's Black Stars and the Teranga Lions of Senegal are working hard to upstage the Nigerian Super Eagles at next year's 25th African Nations Cup finals.
Ghana's Black Stars and the Teranga Lions of Senegal are working hard to upstage the Nigerian Super Eagles at next year's 25th African Nations Cup finals.
Coach Ratomir Dujkovic of the new World Cup bound Stars said Friday that his boys are determined to win a fifth continental title and arrive in Germany as the champions of Africa in the summer of next year.
"There will be many teams vying to win the African Nations Cup, but Ghana are going there to lift the Cup and there would be nothing to negotiate about that. We have a team capable of overhauling Africa.
"We respect teams like Nigeria and Senegal in our group, as well as Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The hosts are always difficult to beat, and upon that Egypt have a young and talented team. Morocco are good too; they did not lose a match in World Cup qualifying.
"The Cup holders are always tough nuts, and this time, Tunisia not only have a good team they are also going to the World Cup.
"But if we get our paces going well from the first match against Nigeria, we would be onto a good thing".
Dujkovic was the man who piloted tiny and impoverished Rwanda to their first -ever Nations Cup finals, leading them to beat Ghana's Black Stars in qualifying for Tunisia 2004. He was then snapped up by the GFA, and turned Ghana's qualifying race around, culminating in the unprecedented World Cup ticket.
"We respect Nigeria but we do not fear them", he added.
Senegal on Friday insisted that local coaches Abdoulaye Sarr and Amara Traore would remain in charge for the Cup of Nations, as they do not want to entertain distractions ahead of the finals in Egypt.
The Teranga Lions, spectacular quarter -finalists at Korea/Japan World Cup finals three years ago, faltered in this campaign, failing to make Africa's cut of five as Togo's Hawks flew away with the ticket from group one with the Lions prostrate.
Sarr and Traore were drafted into the team after the retrenchment of Frenchman Guy Stephan, following the 2-2 draw with Togo's Hawks at the Stade Leopold Senghor in Dakar that eventually accounted for Senegal's failure.