Ghana will take on Morocco in what appears to be a clash of African heavyweights in Group C at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo on Monday.
The Black Stars will be seeking their fifth title, while the Atlas Lions will be looking to end their 45-year wait for the continental crown, following their 1976 triumph.
Ghana head into Cameroon as the third-most successful nation at the tournament, claiming the Africa Cup of Nations title on four different occasions.
However, the Black Stars last conquered the continent four decades ago, when they saw off host nation Libya on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time back in 1982.
While they have made it to three different finals since then, they have fallen short on each occasion, with their most recent shortcoming being in 2015, when they lost on penalties at the hands of Ivory Coast.
Ghana secured their place in this year’s edition of the tournament following an impressive qualifying run where they won four, drew one and lost one to collect 13 points from six games and finish top of Group C.
Milovan Rajevac’s side head into Monday’s game fresh off the back of a 3-0 defeat against reigning African champions Algeria when the sides met in Qatar in a pre-AFCON warm-up friendly.
The Atlas Lions on the hand, were one of eight sides to go unbeaten in the qualifiers, winning four and drawing two to amass 14 points, five points ahead of runners-up Mauritania.
Morocco head into Monday’s game on the back of a quarter-final exit from the Arab Cup as they were beaten on penalties by eventual winners Algeria following a 2-2 draw after extra time.
Prior to that, Vahid Halilhodzic’s men tasted competitive defeat in July 2019, when they were beaten by Benin on penalties in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations — a run of 22 games in which they won 19 and draw three.
Morocco will now look to make up for their Arab Cup woes and secure the continental crown, and three points against fellow group favourites Ghana will be a dream start for the one-time African champion.
