Former Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor has spoken about the chances of AFCON 2019 champions Algeria in Ivory Coast.
The Desert Foxes had put up a training camp in Togo. They defeated the national side in a warmup game last Friday before eventually jetting out to Ivory Coast for AFCON 2023 on Wednesday.
The former national team captain, who registered 66 caps and scored 29 goals, was in the stands at Stade de Kégué during the match and said afterwards that he was really impressed by Djamel Belmadi's men and thinks that they are one of the serious contenders for the title on February 11 in Abidjan.
Adebayor backs Algeria for AFCON 2023
Adebayor was asked by some Algerian journalists after the game and the 2008 African footballer of the year who had stints with AS Monaco, Arsenal, Tottenham and Real Madrid had this to say about the team.
“Algeria has a very good team, we saw it against Togo. I wish them good luck at the competition and they have a good chance of winning the title. They are very good with the ball especially [Nabil] Bentaleb.
“He plays simple and often makes the right decisions with [Riyad] Mahrez and [Islam] Slimani. I think they have every chance of winning the AFCON but the competition is going to be very tough.
“I have always had good memories with Algeria, I played several matches in Algeria and it was always pleasant on and off the field, I wish the team luck.”
Algeria looking to rewrite the scripts at AFCON 2023
Belmadi's men will be looking to make a statement and restore its image, especially after the disappointment of the last AFCON in Cameroon and the failure of the team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup that was held in Qatar.
Five years after winning it in Egypt, they will be looking to get their hands back on the trophy.
They will playing in AFCON 2023 Group D and will begin their campaign against Angola on Monday, 15 January.
