Senegal have players to better 2002 show
Senegal have appeared in 11 previous Nations Cups, with their best showing being in 2002, when they finished as runners-up to Cameroon on penalties.
They are in Group A alongside co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Zambia.
Senegal are coached by Amara Traore, a member of the squad at the 2002 finals, which reached the World Cup quarterfinals six months later. He spent his playing career in France, with more than 200 games for Gueugnon in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.
Senegal appointed him as coach in 2009 and he has recently signed a new contract on the back of an impressive qualifying campaign in which his side easily disposed of former winners Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
KEY PLAYERS
Moussa Sow (Lille)
Age: 25
Position: Forward
The French-born forward played at under-21 level for the French before switching allegiance to the country his parents hail from.
He was top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 25 goals, including the strike that secured the championship for his club. Lille had picked up him on a free transfer from Stade Rennes in 2010.
He also got vital goals for Senegal in the Nations Cup qualifiers.
Souleymane Diawara (Olympique Marseille)
Age: 33
Position: Defender
This imposing central defender has also played at Girondins Bordeaux and in the English Premier League with Charlton Athletic and cost Marseille à7-million when he signed a four-year deal in 2009.
He has been a member of the Senegal squad for almost a decade, playing at three Nations Cup finals between 2004 and 2008.
He holds a quirky record in France, where he has won four League Cup winners' medals, more than any other player.
Demba Ba (Newcastle United)
Age: 26
Position: Forward
He is one of a large contingent of French-born players in the Senegal squad. Ba goes into the tournament on the back of a impressive first half of the Premier League season at Newcastle.
His place in the Senegal starting line-up is not secure but he got a key goal in the qualifiers against Cameroon and last week in a warm-up match against Sudan. His career started at Rouen in France and has seen him play in Belgium and at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.
Senegal occupy 44th place on the Fifa rankings and sixth spot on the continent.
They have a new generation of players with the ability to match, or even better, their golden performance of a decade ago.
The team produced a steam-roller in the 2012 qualifying campaign, beating Cameroon and DR Congo to take top place in their group with two matches to play.
Their squad draws heavily from players in Ligue 1, although their Achilles heel is the goalkeeping berth, with little international experience between the trio selected.