Some of the world’s finest footballers will be swapping team rivalry for national pride this month as the 2008 African Cup of Nations begins in Ghana.

Boasting a cast list of Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, and one of the Premier League’s current leading lights Sulley Muntari among others the event rivals the European Championships in stature behind the World Cup. The question on everyone’s lips has got to be whether Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, will be fit to play?

Stan Collymore will be commentating throughout the tournament on Eurosport and joins us today to discuss this prestigious event that kicks off on Sunday 20th January. Joining Stan is leading sports broadcaster Gary Imlach who is presenting the channel’s live coverage, who will be ready to tell us which players to look out for and the key group stage matches to tune in to.

As the domestic league endures the scrabbling, rumours and gossip of the January transfer window, it’s time to turn our attention to Africa. With up to 40 Premier League players leaving the domestic season to link up with their national team it promises to be one of the most exciting African Cups to date. Submit your questions and get the low down from Stan and co…

Gary Imlach joins Stan Collymore live online on Thursday 17th January at 15:00 discuss the African Cup of Nations.

For more information visit http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/

H: Hello welcome to the Sports Show, I'm Gary Imlach. We're live on the web, or were live on the web, depending on when you're catching up with us, and we're with former England International Stan Collymore, Stan nice to have you with us. We're talking really about the big international event in the world of football this month, the 26th African Cup of Nations which is going to be live on Eurosport around the world, you're going to be commentating on it. More of a buzz around this tournament I think than any previous one, or are we just hyping it?

S: No I think the buzz is without a doubt there, and I think it's because so many African players now are playing in Europe, in the premiership in particular, we've got what 35 exports that we've sent back to Africa for two or three weeks, 60-odd more from the French league, countless others in Serie A, La Liga – so it really is truly now a global football event, and one that I'm very much looking forward to commentating on Eurosport and watching players that we don't get to see week in week out

H: Yes and pick some of those out, we're going to go through the groups and we'll visit everyone in detail as we go along, but I mean just to start pick out some people that you're looking forward to seeing

S: Didier Drogba obviously, Chelsea fans will know him very well. Last season's premiership top scorer, and he has had his injuries, he has had his problems there's talk of him maybe leaving Chelsea with the arrival of Nikolas Anelka of course from Bolton, but for me he's the all round striker, loads of pace, the epitome of the modern player, moves into good positions and he's got a great finish. Scored in the warm-up games of course for Ivory Coast recently and I'm sure he'll be looking forward to going into the tour and having a good one, maybe picking up a winner's medal at the end of it, and let's see what happens, whether he'll end up playing with Anelka or pastures new

H: Yes and hoping not to pick up an injury along the way. By the way if you look below the screen you'll see the question box, please feel free to chip in, ask us anything you want, we'll try to get an answer as we go along and if your question isn't answered, be patient, you're probably in a queue. Now, there's been a lot of controversy in the UK, and probably around Europe as well because the African Nation's Cup comes slap bang in the middle of the Premiership season. Managers who haven't noticed it before because they haven't gone out and bought so many African players –

S: They noticed it

H: They're suddenly noticing it. I mean how much sympathy have you got with the arguments that the whole thing should be shifted?

S: I have no sympathy at all. The African cup of Nations every two years is in January because that's where it's been since 1957, you know that's three years before the first European championships and obviously in Africa, such a huge continent, you have to take in logistics, you know the weather – you wouldn't want the African Cup of Nations played in Akra in the middle of June with the temperatures. You know other parts of Africa you know monsoon, all takes – comes into play, so for me the African cup of nations has been a premium tournament in Africa for African fans all around the continent for 50-odd years. Why should it change? If you were Harry Rednapp at Portsmouth and you've bought 5 or 6 players, you know where they come from, you know that you're only getting them because the visa requirements to come into the country mean that they have to play a certain amount of games for these nations, and the players pride – if you ask Didier Drogba how important it is to play for Ivory Coast, it's as important and we shouldn't really have to stress this point, as a John Terry playing for England, or a Steven Gerrard playing for England. These players love playing for their countries, they love playing the African Cup of Nations, keep it where it is

H: Alright well we'll get into that in a little bit more detail a bit later on. In the meantime we have our first question. John asks “Stan, do you think the quality of the game in Africa is fast overtaking the giants in Europe?”

S: Well it's very interesting, I think that my concern is looking at many, many games in the premiership week in, week out – if you look at Ivory Coast for example, in the 2006 World Cup the squad of 22 / 23 players were all based outside of the Ivory Coast because there's no structure in place to keep those players in the league, keep them playing in the Ivory Coast, so that for me is a concern, but then you look on the flip side of it, you've got Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, all with very well-established, well-supported (financially) and support-wise national leagues, so Africa really, you cannot take it individual nations, you have to look at it holistically and I think African football is in the best health it's every been. Whether it will compete with the Premiership, Serie A that have been leagues that have been existing for the best part of 100 years, time will tell, but certainly the individual players and the national teams are catching up very, very fast

H :Right we've got a perfect question to follow-on from that now – Ambrose Addo would like to know “with about 2.4 billion viewers watching this year's Cup of Nations, has African football finally come of age to the point where an African team” – and you know the old question that's coming – “will win the World Cup?”

S: Undoubtedly Fifa's expansion scheme, you know we think of the Trinidad and Tobago's and countries like that Concacaf being embraced now in World Cup finals and the reason why Fifa have done that is to expose countries in Africa, in Asia, Oceania – to top quality international football. Some people have decried it, but I certainly think for Africa and African football it has a benefit, because a) we know the talent is there, b) we've just said about the structure of the national leagues providing players regularly. We only have to look back as an Englishman going back to Cameroon when they played England in 1990 in the World Cup, came so close to beating and getting into the latter stages, in the quarters and the semis, you look at the big boys in Africa now, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon – all very, very capable to get into the world cup and to get to the latter stages, and that will only come by Fifa expansion, 32 teams, and of course the next world cup is on the continent in southern Africa, and I would expect one of those teams to at least get to a quarter final

H: Have a good run at it. Yes I mean there was the famous quote wasn't there, Pele saying you know that he thought an African team would win the World Cup by the turn of the Millenium, and it's probably stretching an argument to say an African team did, but a strongly heavily-African influence team did in the France 1998 squad

S: Absolutely – Vierra, you're looking at Zinidine Zidane, Algerian heritage, got players right the way –

H: Desailly from Ghana

S: Marcel Desailly from Ghana, that I mean you and I spoke earlier on about in the next 5 or 10 years will those players decide to opt for their father and mother's birth nation rather than taking up the option of playing for countries like France, like England, Germany, etc etc – if that's the case with the influx of players playing top grade football in the Champion's League and the Premiership and all the other leagues that we've mentioned, there's no doubt in my mind that it's going to be a matter of when rather than if an African country will win the World Cup

H: Yes. Listening to Marcel Desailly speaking recently you've got to think that if he'd been playing now he'd – he would definitely have opted for Ghana rather than France. Now it's in France, we've got another question in – it's in Ghana rather – “with it being in Ghana, is home field advantage big enough to get the host nation through to the final and maybe win it?”

S: Well they didn't have a great 2006 in Egypt, they went out in the first round and barely raised a whimper really which must be a concern only two years after. They've got Michael Essein, they've got Sulley Muntari, top quality international players, they've got home support, fanatical support, same as in places like Nigeria, Cameroon, for the game and Ivory Coast, but for me I think it might be a little bit of a bridge too far in terms of them getting to the semis or the final, quarter finals yes, possibility, maybe semis, but I think the two big boys, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, it's going to be difficult to get past them

H: Interesting you mention Michael Essein and Sulley Muntari – if Stephen Appiah had been fit that would have been perhaps the best mid-field in the world. Appiah whose such a talisman for Ghana is injured, not available for selection but Claude Le Roy has included him in the squad anyway because he thinks he's so inspirational – I mean is that a waste of a place or a good move?

S: Not at all, to get a player of his experience and his quality, you know there are certain talisman, when you look at someone like Steven Gerrard for England, or a John Terry, a David Beckham, Stephen Appiah, that's what he means to Ghana and Ghanaian football. So to have him in and around the dressing room, to the younger players to look up to, the skipper mentality in the dressing room, giving orders beforehand, even though he's not going to be in there in the pitch he'll be in and around the squad, eating with them, living with them, sleeping – so in terms of the impact that he could have, he could have a massive impact even though he's not playing

H: Alright well let's crack on a little bit and talk about the groups. Ghana traditionally the hosts, they always open – they open against Guinea which isn't an easy game by any stretch

S: Not at all and I think that what a lot of people don't realise is that Guinea are quite high up in the Fifa rankings. We had this sort of debate as well as to the Fifa rankings – Nigeria ranked number one in Africa, yet only third or fourth to win the tournament. So there's a potential banana skin without a doubt there for Ghana. Home support should see them through, I would fancy them to go on and win it, 1, 2-0, just sneak through. If they do that then they've got all of this momentum to follow them. If they don't, of course then they're going –

H: The pressure's on

S: Into their second game – the pressure's on, crowd can turn, and could make life very difficult for them

H: Now Namibia have probably got no chance in that group, but Morocco certainly have, the fourth team –

S: Yes again Morocco we've said likes of Egypt, Tunisia, the teams north of the Sahara, Morocco I was there earlier on in the year, again another fanatical nation with a good record overall in the tournament, and the way that the teams in Morocco, the national teams and Tunisia play, is that they've got a lot more cohesive and it's because obviously Ivory Coast and all the players are going off all over Europe, playing the different leagues. A lot of Moroccans play domestic football, so you know the Atlas Lions might well pop down and create a bit of a stir down there, but for me, my gut feeling would say that one of the west African teams, sub-Saharan teams will go on to win the trophy

H: Ok well that's group A – we'll dart down to group D just for a moment because we've had a question in about Angola – Tunisia, Senegal, South Africa and Angola in group D and James asks “what do you think about Manucho – Manchester United didn't have a player in the tournament, they now have having just signed Angola's Manucho, how do you think he'll do?”

S: Well it's a fascinating situation, you know the January transfer market is a thing that gets a big media frenzy in the UK, because of the players – sometimes you get premium, top quality, internationals that come in to bolster squads – Nikolas Anelka we talked about moved to Chelsea, he's been the biggest so far, but for Manchester United to buy Manucho – he's from Angola of course, Portuguese-speaking player, wide man, bit of something there before in terms of Manchester United and wide Portuguese-speaking players, Christiano Ronaldo of course, so maybe he'll come in and do a very, very good job. Angola will obviously depend on him because his pace, he's very quick and he's got an eye for goal, but if Manchester United come knocking on your door and buy you, you have to be top quality

H: And that's a wide-open group isn't it really, perhaps the widest open, Angola, South Africa – where Carlos Alberta Ferrera is building for the future, looking at 2010 world cup more than this year, and then Tunisia and Senegal – I mean Senegal, so many players in the Premiership

S: It's going to be a bridge too far I think for South Africa in this tournament. They're planning very much for 2010, they're playing lots of young players, you've got likes of Stephen Pineaar at Everton, players of that type that maybe it's a little early for them to come so far and do really well in this tournament, but again major tournament experience, looking forward to 2010 with the coach whose been there, seen it, done it – he will have done his homework but I wouldn't expect too much from the South Africans. Tunisia and Senegal for me are going to top the group and it'll be Senegal, El Hadj Diouff et al –

H: Now El Hadj Diouff has been – I mean all the trouble he's had – disciplinary and otherwise, all the rows he's had with the Senegal footballers association and I'm retiring and I'm never coming back – suddenly he's captain. Would you have El Hadj Diouff as your captain?

S: Well I think that for the manager he's just looking to appease his star player isn't he? And the problem becomes in African football, and in parts of Asia and South America as well, where you get the massive financial differences between what somebody like El Hadj Diouff is earning and the finances that come into the Senegal football association, those players have a lot of power and a lot of clout, so giving him the captain's armband, I'm sure the Senegal FA will say –

H: Probably part of his deal – I'll come out of retirement if you make me –

S: Exactly and have a real sort of influence in the dressing room and I'm sure he'll want his own say and you know the FA will doff their cap a little bit to selection and people that he would like to see in, but I still think that Senegal and Tunisia should quite easily and comfortably, you know passage through that group

H: Ok so groups B and C left which lead handily onto the next question because Adrian wants to know “who do you think is better, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon in group C or Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast in group B?”

S: I would say Didier Drogba, simply because he has lightning pace, he gets on the end of balls, his movement and he plays well off people like Frank Lampard whereas Samuel Et'o, the ball comes to him, he's more of an individual player. Absolutely fantastic skill, brilliant on the ball and scores fantastic goals but Didier Drogba, if you want somebody that's regularly going to score 20 / 25 goals a season, for me Drogba is your man

H: Ok, well moving off Drogba then, let's have a look at the group he's in, every major tournament has to have a group of death these days – this is the group of death –

S: It sticks out, just look at it

H: In the African Cup of Nations

S: Just looking at it, at the paper here and it really does stick out, I mean there's 3 there – you feel for little Binin really, but they're in there really with the big boys and again –

H: Mali, Nigeria

S: Mali, Ivory Coast, Nigeria – Ivory Coast playing Nigeria of course in the opening game in group B

H: Massive game to open with

S: Huge game because if either of those teams drop points then the back door is open for Mali to nick points off Binin you would imagine in their first game

H: With Freddi Kanoute whose on fire for Sevilla

S: Absolutely and I do feel for Mali because I think for me they are one of the dark horses to go and lift the tournament if they can get out of that group. But should it be the two that we expect - Ivory Coast and Nigeria – again with it being in the west coast of Africa, expect them with large support in and around the stadium, the top quality players that they have to go through that group

H: Ok well one last group then, group C – we've already mentioned Samuel Et'o of Cameroon, their second seeds, top seeds understandably are the defending champions Egypt

S: Egypt very very strong domestically, they've got players that have played together now for quite some time. Everybody remembers of course the 2006 final where they scraped past in the penalty shoot-out against Ivory Coast. Be a bit different now, they're travelling the opposite way, Egypt and although they've been five times champions their history in West Africa hasn't been fantastic, but in terms of Cameroon, again they've got top quality players that play in Europe, they haven't done as well –

H: Jeremy in the mid-field, Rigobert Song at the back, so they've got a spine through haven't they?

S: Jeremy for me is maybe getting to that point whereby he's peaked and he's on the – I've seen him for Newcastle and his legs aren't what they used to be in terms of getting out and getting up and break-up play, so I don't think he's going to have that much of a massive influence on the pitch

H: Right

S: He will of course in the dressing room, but I think Cameroonian football since the heady days of Roger Milla, the world cups etc etc, are just going through a transitional period, pretty much similar to South Africa, so although I think that they will get through the group, you're looking at the other two, Sudan, course hosted the first one back in 1957, and Zambia, I think Egypt and Cameroon should be way too easy for those two

H: Ok, no Mido for Egypt – good thing or bad thing? Great player on the field, disruptive influence off it

S: Yes he's obviously you know – Egypt I think have a strong enough set-up, their football association is very strong, I think that they're in a position that maybe Senegal aren't in whereby they can dictate the rules to the players selection policy and Mido isn't in the squad. Time will tell whether that's a good decision or not

H: Ok so time to pick who you think – you've sort of outlined who you think's going to win it, but take us through

S: I think that it will be Ivory Coast and I say that having looked at their squad in depth, you look at the likes of Toure, Drogba, you know if he plays and plays well he will get you 5 or 6 goals in the tournament. Nigeria on the other hand to me are very top-heavy, got wonderful strikers, you know Yakubu, Utaka, I mean the names – Kanu the skipper, the names just trip off the tongue, but I'm not so sure and I think that they're – the bookies tend to get it wrong. They're ranked 4th and I think that although everybody will be highlighting the strikers, I don't think they've got the strength in depth to see off Ivory Coast

H: And just quickly before we go, any – I mean so many great players out there we already know, any players you expect to come through and really establish names for themselves?

S: Yes St Etienne's Pascal Feindouno that plays for Guinea, an attacking mid-fielder, scores goals, he's done fantastically well in the French league this season. Maybe again he's one that's going to push on and do well in this tournament and get a move to Premiership Serie A, but yes Liverpool and Glasgow Rangers I believe have been looking at him, he's my pick

H: Alright Stan, thanks very much. A fascinating 26th African Cup of Nations in prospect, you can see all the games on Eurosport, and if for any reason you don't have access, you can check back here to Eurosport.yahoo.com and see half-time and full-time wrap-ups of every single game from January 20th through to February 10th. Now of course as it always says in the fine print, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but here's the kind of thing you can expect to see over the next 3 weeks

Video footage

It's a magnificent header…it's a good little goal….it's for the Cup of Nations….absolutely amazing

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