Barcelona Defender Jules Kounde Names His Favourites for AFCON 2023, Snubs West African Giants

• Jules Kounde has picked his favourites to win the 2023 AFCON trophy
• The Barcelona defender has backed teams from North and West Africa
• The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to kick off on January 13

Jules Kounde has joined the ranks of bookmakers who have dismissed Nigeria's Super Eagles as one of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations favourites.

The Barcelona defender, who spent his summer holidays visiting Senegal and his father’s homeland - Benin Republic - has acknowledged there are several good teams in the competition.

According to BSN Sports, Kounde listed the defending champions among his favourites to claim the continental title by early February, when the tournament concludes.

"I see [AFCON as] quite open. I think there are quite a few teams that can compete to win. Obviously, Senegal is one with a very good, young team, with managers who have a lot of experience. Above all, they are the reigning champions.

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The Barcelona star also believes 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco will be a contender, as will nations like Cameroon, Algeria, and the host nation - Ivory Coast.

A total of 24 teams will vie for Africa’s biggest football competition, which is set to kick off in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.

The Indomitable Lions of Senegal are the current title-holders, having beaten the Pharaohs of Egypt in a dramatic penalty shootout last time around.

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Meanwhile, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Nigeria ranks fourth in terms of tickets bought ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast next year, PUNCH reports.

The data released on the football governing body's account on X (formerly Twitter) disclosed a total of 12,544 tickets have been purchased by different countries heading to the competition.

The host country, Ivory Coast, is in first place with 32,307 AFCON tickets sold, followed by Guinea-Bissau (28,614) and Equatorial Guinea (16,237) in second and third place, respectively.

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Adepoju backs Super Eagles for AFCON

Sports Brief previously reported that ex-Nigeria international, Mutiu Adepoju has approved Nigeria's' final 25-man squad for AFCON 2023.

Manager, Jose Peseiro released the list for Ivory Coast this month, with top stars like Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, and Victor Boniface included.

Adepoju opined that this is an opportunity for Nigeria to lift its fourth AFCON title due to the pedigree of the players Peseiro has brought in.