| Sign Up | Google+

Africa Cup Of Nations 2012, Group B: Cote D'Ivoire Should Win Big, Second Game Massive

Stay connected with SB Nation

Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast looks dejected during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group G match between Brazil and Ivory Coast. Cote D'Ivoire plays Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations on January 22, 2012. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The Ivory Coast kick off their Cup of Nations campaign against Sudan, while Angola and Burkina Faso look to take the upper hand in the race for a quarterfinal spot

The first day of the Africa Cup of Nations featured a great home crowd for Equatorial Guinea and a great upset by Zambia over Senegal, but the second day of the competition should feature a slightly higher level of football. Cote D'Ivoire take on Sudan in the early game, opening Group B play, while Burkina Faso and Angola play in the late game.

Didier Drogba will captain the Ivory Coast, who are widely expected to defeat Sudan very easily. The Ivory Coast are either favorites or second favorites in this competition, depending on who you ask, and will want to get off to a good start by winning big over substandard opposition.

The late game should be a bit more interesting, and will likely decide second place in the group if either team can get a win. Angola and Burkina Faso both have a high number of players who play at very high levels in Europe and both would challenge a bigger side in the quarterfinals. Burkina Faso's strength is in midfield, where they have some of the best central midfielders in Ligue 1. Angola's strength in depth is at striker, and they will have to bench at least one high-quality forward.

Cote D'Ivoire vs. Sudan - 11:00 a.m. ET

Burkina Faso vs. Angola - 2:00 p.m. ET

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The Next Read

There are 0 Comments. Add Yours. Loading

Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.

C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read

R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next

Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read

Comment Settings

Live comment alert: Hide it!

Comments for this post are closed.

tracking_pixel_5349_tracker tracking_pixel_5351_tracker