Fans trooping to watch matches at the Regional Nyamirambo stadium will be treated to high octane action in Group C as the African Nations Championship gets under way in Rwanda on 16 January 2016.

Giants in the shape of Tunisia come face to face with the West African trio of Nigeria, Niger and Guniea.

TUNISIA

The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia come with a team full of steel and pedigree and have a CHAN title to their name which came in 2011 in Sudan thanks to a 3-0 hammering of Angola. They also have a great record in the Africa Cup of Nations and African Club Competitions. Tunisia has made 4 appearances at the FIFA World Cup and 16 appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations. They have been crown African Champions once and that came in 2004 when they were the host nation. The Tunisians have a wide pool of players to select from in the run-up to the show piece in Rwanda, from club giants Esperence, Etoile du Sahel, CS Sfaxien and ES Sahel. Tunisia is no doubt one of the major contenders for the Chan trophy. I see them finishing top of the group ahead of Nigeria.

NIGERIA

The Super Eagles of Nigeria boast of a strong youth development structure and the recent triumph of the Golden Eaglets at the U-17 FIFA World Cup is enough proof of the importance of football in this populace West African country. The Nigerians come with an astonishing record in the Africa Cup of Nations making 17 appearances and have also represented the African Continent at the FIFA World Cup on 5 occasions, their first coming in 1994 USA. They are three times African Champions winning in 1980, 1994, and 2013. The Super Eagles are making only their second appearance at the CHAN Tournament and will be looking to add another piece of silverware to their collection.

NIGER

Niger are probably the outsiders in this group. They come with very little reputation at CAF competitions. They have only made 2 (two) appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Menas of Niger are also making their second appearance at the African Nations Championship. History will not be their favour as they failed to progress beyond the quarter final of the competition in Sudan 2011 Chan. They knocked out Zimbabwe in the second round via a narrow 1-0 victory, the goal scored by Abdelkader. Niger was pegged back in the quarterfinal by South Africa 2-0. They come into the Rwanda tournament as the underdogs but we all know there is no such thing in football anymore. Niger might have little to look back at but they might just write a new chapter in their history books.

GUINEA

Nicknamed the National Elephants, the Guinean football team is currently ranked 49 on the FIFA World Rankings. The Guinean National team has made 11 appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations with their best ever finish coming in Ethiopia 1976 edition when they were runners up to Morocco. Guinea is making their first appearance at the 2016 African Nations Championship in Rwanda. They will be hoping to cause a few upsets and asset themselves as contenders for this year’s title.

Kelvin Trudeau Musako

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