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On this week’s main listening report we preview the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Tournament being co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea that continues until 12 February. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link below, while vocabulary support appears at the foot of the report.
Group A
Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea are the lowest-ranked side in the tournament FIFA have placed them at 151 and though the debutants have lots of naturalised players they are seen as having little or no chance of making it through to the quarter-finals. Senegal, on the other hand, are favoured to make it through and are also seen as dark horses for the tournament. The Teranga Lions boast Newcastle striker Demba Ba in their ranks but such is the strength in depth of the squad that he may not even get a starting role in the side. It is simply remarkable that Libya have even made it to the finals after the Civil War that raged through the country last year. The fact that most of the players are semi-professional suggest that the Mediterranean Knights may not pose too much of a challenge for the other sides in the group. Zambia will be favoured to make it through and they will be hoping to equal or even better their 1974 and 1994 performances when they finished runners-up in the tournament. Predictions: Zambia and Senegal.
Group B
Ivory Coast are not only clear favourites to make it through the group but they are strong favourites to lift the title. They have experienced players in Didier Drogba, the Toure brothers and Arsenal striker Gervinho meaning that The Elephants will be a force to reckon with. Sudan, the Nile Crocodiles, should pose few problems for the Ivory Coast as they have a FIFA ranking of 120, while all their players are from their domestic league. The other outsiders in this rather weak group are Burkina Faso who have once reached the semi-finals of this competition but are not expected to make it through this time round. That leaves Angola, the hosts of the last tournament, who despite never winning the continental title are tipped to make it through this group at least. Ivory Coast and Angola to progress.
Group C
Co-hosts Gabon are full of confidence after qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics and there is a feeling that the Panthers may be able to make it through from a group that contains North African rivals Tunisia and Morocco. The shock qualifiers and real minnows of the tournament are Niger who managed to make it to these finals by knocking out title holders Egypt and South Africa in the qualifying rounds but they will surely not be able to progress to the knock-out stages here. Both Tunisia and Morocco will fancy their chances of making it through but they will both have to improve on their recent African Cup of Nations record: Morocco last won the title in 1964 while Tunisia won it in 2004. Tunisia and Gabon to make it through.
Group D
Ghana are clear favourite to progress from this group and indeed are many people’s favourites to go on and win the title outright. The Black Stars were runners-up two years ago in Egypt and are hoping to go one better this time round and claim their fifth continental title and their first since 1982. Botswana are another of the debutants in this competition and ranked 94th in the world, the Zebras will find it tough to make it to the qualifiers. Mali’s chances in this tournament have been hit by the retirement of Sevilla striker Kanoute but with Barcelona midfielder Keita in their ranks they may be able to scrape through into the knock-out stages. Guinea could be the dark horse of this tournament after having knocked out powerhouse Nigeria in the qualifying rounds and they will fancy their chances of making it through to the knock-out stages. Our tips: Guinea and Ghana.
Vocabulary
naturalised players: Players born in another country but can play for another country
the debutants: First-timers, the first time that the team has played in the tournament
Teranga Lions: The nickname of Senegal
raged through: Continued, happened
the Mediterranean Knights : The nickname of Libya
a force to reckon with: They are going to be strong, a good side
The Elephants: The nickname of the Ivory Coast
the Nile Crocodiles: The nickname of Sudan
outsiders: Not favoured, not tipped to do well
the Panthers: Nickname of Gabon
minnows: A small, unfashionable side
will fancy their chance: Think they can make it through
win the title outright: To win the competition, to become African champions
go one better: To improve on the last time
The Black Stars: The nickname of Ghana
to scrape through: To just about make it through
