Senegal will begin their quest for a first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title by taking on Zimbabwe in group B encounter at the Kouekong Stadium on Monday.
The Lions of Teranga suffered the disappointment of losing back to back finals when they fell to South Africa at the last hurdle of the COSAFA Cup.
Aliou Cisse’s men, who were also narrowly beaten by Algeria in the AFCON final three years ago, responded superbly once again by winning five of their six World Cup qualifiers to book a place in March’s playoffs.
Off the back of 12 games without a victory, the start of the Afcon could not have come at a worse time for Zimbabwe.
However, Norman Mapeza did see his side play out a goalless draw versus Sudan on Sunday when they picked up their first clean sheet in six outings.
The Warriors now prepare for a baptism of fire against one of the competition’s favourites as they aim to avoid a third consecutive group-stage exit.
Elsewhere in group B, Guinea and Malawi will both be looking to get off to a winning start in the Africa Cup of Nations when they lock horns at the Kouekong Stadium on Monday evening.
Guinea capped off their preparations for the AfCON by getting the better of Rwanda in an international friendly on Thursday.
The Flames of Malawi on the other hand, have been on a woeful run of just one victory from the subsequent 11 games, which has seen them fail to qualify for November’s World Cup.
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