Ex Nigeria Player Snubs Senegal, Morocco As 2023 AFCON Favourites

• Samson Siasia believes Nigeria can win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
• Nigeria are among 24 teams participating at next year’s AFCON tournament
• The Super Eagles have won the competition three times in the past

The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off on January 13, with 24 nations vying for the continent’s biggest football prize, and Nigeria has been tipped as one of the favourites.

The three-time African champions have been paired alongside host nation Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau in Group of the tournament scheduled for January 13 to February 11.

According to The Cable, former Nigeria international Samson Siasia is backing the Super Eagles to win the 2023 AFCON as he acknowledges the present squad under Jose Peseiro is filled with quality players.

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“The Super Eagles have good players but they have to play as a team. If they start playing as a team, we may have the chance to do whatever.

“If they can up their game, we never know. But we’ve got to get the right players. We’re not going to say they can’t win it or not. They can win it all.”

Nigeria were last crowned champions of AFCON in 2013 when Steven Keshi led the team to the trophy, defeating Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final.

Toure snubs Nigeria for AFCON

Meanwhile, former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is not rating Nigeria as one of the title contenders for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title set to take stage in his homeland Ivory Coast, Soccernet reports.

Toure, who is currently Saudi Arabia's assistant coach, named his country Ivory Coast, defending champions Senegal, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau and Morocco as the teams he considers as front-runners to win the upcoming tournament.

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Nigeria will square up against Ivory Coast on January 18 in the second fixture in Group A as both teams seek to qualify for the knockout rounds as favourites.

Oliseh blasts NFF over AFCON list

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Sunday Oliseh has accused the Nigeria Football Federation of trying to 'kill everything home-based' in reaction to the Super Eagles' 40-man provisional Africa Cup of Nations list.

Coach, Jose Peseiro submitted his provisional squad for AFCON 2023 to CAF with only Ojo Oluwasegun (Enyimba FC), Christian Nwoke (Sporting Lagos FC), and Obasogie Amas (Bendel Insurance) as home-based players.

Oliseh has joined a host of Nigerians, including Odion Ighalo, who have taken exception to the number of Nigerian-based players in the squad, citing the NFF as 'killing the local talents' with their actions.