MX23RW : Wednesday, February 12 15:35:48| >> :600:7420979:7420979:

Africa Cup of Nations Preview: Equatorial Guinea

Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea enter the Africa Cup of Nations with a new and unknown coach. Sports Mole assesses his chances of guiding the nation to glory.

Co-host Equatorial Guinea's preparation for the tournament was rocked two weeks ago by the decision of coach Henri Michel to quit his post.

The veteran Frenchman, who cited interference from officials as his reason to leave, was promptly replaced by the unknown Gilson Paulo.

Paulo's appointment has not been well received in Equatorial Guinea, with supporters deciding to back the departed Michel.

Guinea appear lower in the FIFA rankings than any other team in the competition.

Group: A

Players to watch out for:

Javier Balbao

Fans of Real Madrid may be aware of Balbao, who was signed by Fabio Capello in 2005 during his stint at the Bernabeu. Despite making a few appearances in the Champions League, midfielder Balbao was unable to force his way into Capello's plans and was sold to Benfica. He is currently playing for Portuguese club Beira Mar.

Rodolfo Bodipo

Veteran defender Bodipo played no part in the qualification process, but has been called up to the squad following Michel's departure. The Deportivo centre-back has also been appointed the skipper for the tournament.

Previous best: N/A

Odds outright to win: 80/1

Sports Mole says: Group stages

ID:13695: cacheID:13695:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2549:
Written by
Liam Apicella
Restore Data
Share this article now:
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!