The Africa Cup of Nations – The Fantasy Football Manager’s Guide

While Fantasy Football managers have enough on their plate at the moment, with three Gameweeks in eight days just around the corner, there are further demands looming on the horizon as we enter the New Year.

Every two years, the Africa Cup of Nations sees a number of Premier League players leave these shores for anything up to a month, and the latest edition of the tournament will kick-off in mid-January.

In this guide to the competition, we present the facts on the players and teams affected, while providing some insight into the subsequent implications for the Premier League teams affected.

When does the tournament take place?

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted by Gabon, and begins on January 14, with the final taking place on February 5.

A full list of all the group stage fixtures and the schedule for the knockout stages can be found here.

Who will be involved?

The following 16 nations have qualified for this year’s tournament:

Group A: Gabon (hosts), Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau
Group B: Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Zimbabwe
Group C: Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Morocco, Togo
Group D: Ghana, Mali, Egypt, Uganda

The nations above have, to this point, named only provisional squads, with the final line-ups to be confirmed by January 4 after initial training camps. For now, we’ve provided a team-by-team breakdown listing those players likely to be involved, based on the provisional listings:

Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (Egypt)
Bournemouth: Max Gradel (Ivory Coast), Benik Afobe (DR Congo)
Burnley: Tendayi Darikwa (Zimbabwe)
Chelsea: None
Crystal Palace: Kwesi Appiah (Ghana), Bakary Sako (Mali). Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast)
Everton: Idrissa Gueye (Senegal), Arouna Kone (Ivory Coast), Oumar Niasse (Senegal)
Hull City: Ahmed Elmohamady (Egypt), Dieumerci Mbokani (DR Congo)
Leicester City: Yohan Benalouane (Tunisia), Jeffrey Schlupp (Ghana), Daniel Amartey (Ghana), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Islam Slimani (Algeria)
Liverpool: Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Man City: None
Man United: Eric Bailly (Ivory Coast)
Middlesbrough: Adama Traore (Mali)
Southampton: Sofiane Boufal (Morocco)
Stoke City: Wilfried Bony (Ivory Coast), Mame Biram Diouf (Senegal), Ramadan Sobhi (Egypt)
Sunderland: Papy Djilobodji (Senegal), Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia), Lamine Kone (Ivory Coast), Didier Ndong (Gabon)
Swansea City: None
Tottenham Hotspur: None
Watford: Nordin Amrabat (Morocco), Brice Dja Djedje (Ivory Coast), Adlene Guedioura (Algeria)
West Bromwich Albion: None
West Ham United: Andre Ayew (Ghana), Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria), Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal)

Among the notable exceptions are Liverpool’s Joel Matip and West Bromwich Albion’s Allan Nyom, who are among seven Cameroon players who have stated their desirenot to take part in the tournament.

The situation is complicated by the fact the Cameroon football association (Fecafoot) could ask FIFA to suspend the pair for the duration of the tournament.

That appears an unlikely scenario, though, while the players could also retire from international football in order to avoid any potential suspension.

Yaya Toure is another who won’t be travelling to Gabon after retiring from international football, while Nigeria’s failure to qualify means the likes of Alex Iwobi, Victor Moses and Victor Anichebe, among others, will be unaffected.

West Ham’s Diafra Sakho also won’t feature for Senegal after being ruled out for up to three months with a back injury earlier this week.

How many Gameweeks will they miss?

The tournament starts on January 14, with the group stages lasting until January 25. However, squads will be gathering for training camps and friendlies well before that date.

Egypt, for example, will hold a 10-day training camp between January 2 and January 11, including a scheduled friendly against Tunisia on January 8, before heading to Gabon ahead of their opening fixture against Mali on January 17.

Interestingly, this report places some doubt surrounding the availability of Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny for the Gameweek 20 trip to Bournemouth on January 3, with team director Ihab Leheta stating players based in the Premier League will be the last to join the squad on January 2:

“The foreign-based players who play in the English Premier League will be the last players to join the camp on 2 January due to their commitment with teams.”

Players are set to depart their Premier League teams around Gameweek 20 then, which runs between January 2 and January 4.

It’s likely they’ll be handed special dispensation to play in Gameweek 20, though, before departing to meet up with their respective national squads, although situations may vary on a case by case basis.

All players will definitely miss Gameweek 21 and 22, but players eliminated at the group stage should be available for Gameweek 23, which runs between January 31 and February 1.

The quarter-finals take place on January 28 and 29, so players eliminated at that stage could have an outside chance of being available to play in Gameweek 23, although it’s more unlikely they’ll be involved.

The semi-finals are scheduled for February 1 and 2, so players knocked out at that point could still travel to return to their clubs for Gameweek 24, but would again appear unlikely to be involved.

The third-place playoff and the final take place on February 4 and 5. Any player taking part in these matches should be able to return to contention for Gameweek 25, which takes place the following weekend, between February 11 and 13.

In a nutshell, all players are certain to miss at least two Gameweeks, with the worst case scenario perhaps seeing a few being unavailable for four Premier League matches, should they qualify for the semi-finals, ruling them out of Gameweek 24.

Below is a breakdown of the worst-case scenario, then, with the potential for some players to be unavailable for four league fixtures:

Gameweek 20 (Jan 2-4) – Training camps and friendlies – players expected to be given special dispensation to play, and should remain available for their clubs.

Gameweek 21 (Jan 14-15) – Group stages – all players missing.

Gameweek 22 (Jan 21-22) – Group stages – all players missing.

Gameweek 23 (Jan 31- Feb 1) – Those eliminated in the group stages will return and should be available to play. But those who are knocked out at the quarter-final stage are likely to arrive back at their clubs fatigued due to travel, and will face very limited preparation time.

Gameweek 24 (Feb 4-5) – Players who travel back to their clubs after being knocked out at the quarter-final stage should have a few extra days to put themselves in contention to play. Those who represent countries who make it to the last four will remain unavailable, due to the third-place playoff and the final taking place that weekend.

Who will be most affected?

Much will depend on the progress of each nation. According to Nicerodds, these are the best odds for this year’s tournament:

Ivory Coast 7/2
Senegal 13/2
Ghana 8/1
Algeria 9/1
Egypt 9/1
Gabon 9/1
Cameroon 10/1
Morocco 11/1

Should Ivory Coast justify those odds as clear favourites, the possible absence of Wilfried Zaha, potentially until Gameweek 25, could be a major blow to Crystal Palace’s hopes of climbing up the table, and from a Fantasy perspective, may also have a knock-on effect on the output of Christian Benteke.

Sunderland could also be severely hampered by the loss of Lamine Kone, then, while with Senegal also expected to progress through to the latter stages, Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate and possibly Papy Djilobodji are other key players who could potentially be unavailable until Gameweek 25.

Conclusion

It’s clear there are a couple of Premier League teams who will face major disruption due to the tournament.

Sunderland will be without first-choice centre-backs Lamine Kone, while starting central midfielder Didier Ndong will also be unavailable.

Wahbi Khazri will also be away representing Tunisia, although he has barely featured for the Black Cats over the past few months.

There does appear to be good news regarding Papy Djilobodji, however, with the defender left out of Senegal’s provisional squad, having not played for his country for nearly two years.

Given Sunderland also have a number of long-term injuries, and with chief executive Martin Bain stating David Moyes will have “very limited” funds in the transfer market, there’s no doubt their already thin squad will be stretched.

John O’Shea provides experienced cover in central defence, but with Jason Denayer having played in midfield during the past few matches, there are currently no other senior centre-backs at the club.

The likes of Billy Jones, Donald Love and Javier Manquillo may be required to play out of position then if either Djilobodji or O’Shea pick up an injury, with youngsters Thomas and Sam Robson other options, although they’re also full-backs by trade.

Moyes’ men face Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion in Gameweeks 21 and 22, so the prospects for Potters and Baggies attackers should be enhanced in the absence of three key players for Sunderland.

Ndong’s absence will leave Sunderland without a recognised holding midfielder, with both Lee Cattermole and Jan Kirchhoff out with long-term injuries.

The likes of Sebastian Larsson, and if he recovers from a hamstring injury, Jack Rodwell, should see more playing time, with youngster Ethan Robson perhaps another option.

Leicester City will also be badly affected, with key first-team players Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey all involved.

Jamie Vardy’s three-match ban should at least mean he’s fresh to shoulder the load when he returns for Gameweek 21, while Demarai Gray and Ahmed Musa should get increased opportunities in the absence of Mahrez.

Shinji Okazaki should also benefit from the absence of Slimani, while with Danny Drinkwater, Andy King and Nampalys Mendy all options in central midfield, the absence of Amartey may not be felt quite so much.

The champions could certainly offer less of a goal threat without the Algerian pair, so the clean sheets prospects of Chelsea and Southampton in Gameweeks 21 and 22 should be boosted by their absence.

West Ham United will also be seriously affected, with Cheikhou Kouyate, who’s been a key component in their ability to play with three at the back, absent, along with Andre Ayew and Sofiane Feghouli.

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic looks to have limited options, with Winston Reid and James Collins his only other recognised centre-halves.

The Welshman could come in as a straight replacement, then, or Bilic may have to consider switching to a four-man defence.

The loss of Ayew and Feghouli shouldn’t harm the Irons as much, with Andy Carroll likely to spearhead the attack, with Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini stationed in the attacking midfield roles.

While Wilfried Bony has barely featured for Stoke City since the forward was linked with a January move to China, the Potters will have to cope without both Mame Biram Diouf and Ramadan Sobhi.

Diouf has been used at right wing-back in recent weeks, so unless Stoke boss Mark Hughes is happy to use Glen Johnson in that position, we may see an end to the 3-4-2-1 formation he’s used during the past month or so.

Jon Walters has been the preferred option in attack of late, and he could well continue to lead the line.

Given the size of the squad that Mike Phelan has to work with, Hull City will certainly feel the loss of Ahmed Elmohamady and Dieumerci Mbokani.

Elmohamady has only missed one match this season, playing at either right-back or right wing-back.

With no other natural right-sided defender in the squad, Phelan may have to lean on the likes of David Meyler, Josh Clackstone or Josh Tymon to fill in.

Phelan should have Abel Hernandez (hernia) available by the time Mbokani departs, but his attacking options are limited, with Adama Diomande the only other recognised striker.

The away matches to Chelsea and Man United in Gameweeks 22 and 23 look extremely difficult for the Tigers, then, while they could struggle in a crucial home clash against Bournemouth in Gameweek 21.

Watford should be better placed to cope with the loss of Nordin Amrabat and Adlene Guedioura, with Daryl Janmaat and Juan Zuniga both able to play at right wing-back, with Zuniga can also operate further up the pitch.

Isaac Success and Stefano Okaka can also help fill the void alongside Troy Deeney in a front three, while although resources will be stretched in central midfield with Roberto Pereyra out with a knee injury, regular starters Valon Behrami and Etienne Capoue should be able to carry the burden.

Everton boss Ronald Koeman will have to make do without Idrissa Gueye, who’s been one of the Toffees best performers so far this season.

But in Gareth Barry, James McCarthy, Tom Cleverley and Ross Barkley, Koeman does have a number of options to choose from in central midfield. McCarthy is, however, ruled out for up to three weeks with a hamstring problem.

In terms of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) popularity, it’s the loss of Liverpool’s Sadio Mane that will hit us the hardest.

The midfielder’s current ownership stands at 21.3%, so those who currently own Mane will have to be aware of the need to transfer him out after Gameweek 20.

His absence should coincide with the return of Philippe Coutinho from a hamstring injury, though, with Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge, providing he stays fit, likely to be battling it out for the final spot in the front three.

Besides Mane, the potential loss of Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha which could be most keenly felt.

The winger announced his decision to switch allegiances from England to Ivory Coast in November, with FIFA expected to ratify the decision before the start of the tournament.

The Eagles could also be without Bakary Sako, although he is out due to a muscle injury at the moment, with his AFCON participation subsequently in some doubt.

Andros Townsend has been slightly out of favour of late, but he looks set to be a key figure in Zaha’s expected absence, and could thrive in some pretty decent fixtures (whm, EVE, bou).

Southampton and Middlesbrough will have to make do without wide players Sofiane Boufal and Adama Traore respectively, so for Saints, both Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic should be less prone to rotation. Jay Rodriguez could also cement a starting role through some pretty kind fixtures (bur, LEI, swa).

For ‘Boro, they look set to rely primarily on Uruguayan pair Gaston Ramirez and Cristhian Stuani and Stewart Downing, with Viktor Fischer touch-and-go to return by mid-January due to a knee injury.

Bournemouth look set to lose both Benik Afobe and Max Gradel, with the former expected to get the clearance required to make his debut for DR Congo before the tournament kicks-off.

Callum Wilson should be able to cement his starting spot in attack for the Cherries, then, which could see him become a viable Fantasy option once again given Eddie Howe’s side face Hull, Watford and Crystal Palace.

Man United will be without Eric Bailly, but with the Ivorian having missed out to Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo in recent weeks due to injury, his loss shouldn’t affect Jose Mourinho’s side too much.

Chris Smalling also returned from injury against West Brom last time out, so there look to be plenty of options for Mourinho to choose from in central defence.

Likewise, the absence of Mohamed Elneny shouldn’t be a major disruption for Arsenal, with Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka having established themselves as the first-choice midfield pairing in recent weeks, while Aaron Ramsey will provide another option once he recovers from a hamstring problem – the Welshman is now back in full training.