Cameroon’s Group D tough and unpredictable

Overview

Nearly-there teams over the past decade make up this group, all of whom come from the same region. West Africa is more than well-represented at the tournament -- 10 of the 16 teams hail from that side of the continent, with four in this group. Although both Ivory Coast (1992) and Cameroon (1984, 1988, 2000 and 2002) have won the competition before, none of the quartet has had the recent success even though they have all threatened to.

Ivory Coast have finished in the final four in the last five editions of the tournament, Cameroon were quarterfinalists four times since 2004 and didn't appear in the last two tournaments, Mali placed third in 2012 and 2013 while Guinea were in the last eight in 2004, 2006 and 2008. They will all want to go one further this time.

Projected finish

On reputation alone, Ivory Coast and Cameroon should advance out of the group but they have tripped over themselves because of high expectations in the past. They will expect tough competition from Mali, who have bubbled under recently. Guinea will also be a threat. Although they may appear minnows, they qualified from a group which included Ghana, Uganda and Togo and should provide tough competition.

Team-by-Team

Ivory Coast: Their performances have underwhelmed, particularly when placed in the context of their golden generation. Didier Drogba has retired from international football but they still have their fair share of notables. Brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure, Serge Aurier, Cheick Tiote, Wilfried Bony and Gervinho make up a star-studded line-up but whether Herve Renard can command their respect and commitment remains to be seen.

Mali: Seydou Keita is back for another Malian challenge -- remarkably, his seventh ANC. He leads a strong squad that boasts just two locally based players. They are without Cheick Tidiane Diabate but recalled Modibo Maiga after a year's absence and have a settled enough unit to be better than bridesmaids this time around.

Cameroon: No Samuel Eto'o or Alex Song may mean less drama for a Cameroon side who were embarrassed at the 2014 World Cup, largely by their own ill-discipline. That campaign was marred by a 4-0 defeat to Croatia and coach Volker Finke has retained only eight squad members from that tournament. The currently injured Stephane Mbia will captain the new-look outfit, who qualified top of a group that included Ivory Coast and didn't lose a single match in the process.

Guinea: Their qualifying was made even more difficult when all their home games had to be moved outside the country because of the Ebola virus, yet Guinea still finished second to Ghana with two victories over Togo and one against Uganda. Their build-up has also been problematic with two players (Bouna Sarr and Ismael Bangoura) turning down call-ups, but with a point to prove about overcoming the odds, Guinea can be expected to cause problems in this pool.

Best individual battle

CAF player of the year Yaya Toure will be the man all other teams want to stop but the entire Ivorian pack present an exciting challenge for their opponents. The Malian defence was porous in qualification but Cameroon let in only one goal and will want to be similarly impenetrable in the group. They will rely on Yaounde-based shot-stopper Pierre Sylvain Abogo who will be tested against the quality of Toure and company.

Best game

The two heavyweights, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, should provide the major fireworks in this group. They do not play each other until the final match, which may also mean they will be fighting for top spot or simply to advance.

X factor: Regionalism

If there was a mini West African cup in this year's tournament, this would be it. All four countries are from the same region of the continent, which is known for its physicality. The players from this side of Africa are typically tall and broad and their game is full of muscle and jostling. Group D's games may lack finesse but they will be hard fought.