2013 Afcon participant are now ready to take on opponent, given the result of yesterday night draw in South Africa.

Heavyweight contenders Ivory Coast last Africa Cup of Nations finalist and Senegal have been drawn together in the final round of qualifying for the next Africa Cup of Nations.

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It means at least one more of the continent’s top contenders will miss out on next year’s tournament in South Africa, joining record winners Egypt on the sidelines.

The Ivorians host the first leg of the knockout clash in September and then travel to Dakar for the return in October.

The Ivorians did not concede a goal at the Afcon in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon earlier this year but still contrived to lose on post-match penalties in the Final against Zambia.

Senegal went to the 2012 tournament as the best performer in the preliminaries and were highly fancied, but despite a squad filled with European-based professionals they lost all three group games and suffered the embarrassment of being the first team eliminated.

Despite the setback, they were expected to provide another credible challenge in 2013 tournament but in order to do so must now get past the Ivorians.

2013 Afcon Final Qualifing Round Draw

Nigerians were left relieved on Thursday night when former captain Daniel Amokachi drew Liberia as the Super Eagles opponents for the 2013 Nations Cup final qualifier.
As the Nigeria assistant coach held out the little strip of paper that read ‘Liberia’, the collective exhale around Nigeria could have well have been enough to cause a tornado.

Even Amokachi could barely hide a wry, relieved smile when he looked at the name he had just drawn up.

It is an indication of Nigeria’s current brittle state of transition, that none in the country are willing to risk facing high value opposition on the road to South Africa 2013.

Liberia’s Lone Star are yet to win a single game against the Super Eagles after six attempts.

But Sylvanus Okpalla, one of Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi’s assistants, insists that there will be no room for over-confidence.

“I know people are relieved that we got Liberia, but I can assure you that they will be no walk-overs,” he said. “For them to be he, means they deserve to be here.

“These two games will be different from the last time we met. And we must play them with respect and treat them as equals.

“Our goal is to qualify for the Nations Cup, and everybody has to work hard and stay focused for us to do that.”

Thursday’s draw in Johannesburg also produced derbies between Sudan and Ethiopia, who both played at the first Nations Cup in 1957, and Algeria and Libya.

The qualifying ties will be played on the weekends of September 7-9 and October 12-14.

The 15 winners join hosts South Africa in the finals from Jan 19-Feb 10 next year.

2013 AFCON FINAL QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW
Mali v Botswana
Guinea v Niger
Zimbabwe v Angola
Sudan v Ethiopia
Ghana v Malawi
Libya v Algeria
Liberia v Nigeria
C’Ivoire v Senegal
Zambia v Uganda
DR Congo v Equatorial G.
Cape Verde v Cameroon
Gabon v Togo
Mozambique v Morocco
Cen.Africa v Burkina Faso
Sierra Leone v Tunisia

2013 Afcon Final Qualifing Round Draw

2013 AFCON FINAL QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW
Mali v Botswana
Guinea v Niger
Zimbabwe v Angola
Sudan v Ethiopia
Ghana v Malawi
Libya v Algeria
Liberia v Nigeria
C’Ivoire v Senegal
Zambia v Uganda
DR Congo v Equatorial G.
Cape Verde v Cameroon
Gabon v Togo
Mozambique v Morocco
Cen.Africa v Burkina Faso
Sierra Leone v Tunisia
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