Senegal is hitting next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea with seven world-class strikers. The Senegalese Football Association named their final squad for the competition yesterday.?
The coach Amara Traore 23-man squad include some of the best scorers in the top leagues of Europe including the current second highest scorer in the English Premier League Demba Ba.
Moussa Sow, last season’s top scorer in France and Papiss Demba Cisse, who finished second highest in the German Bundesliga last season are also included.
Denmark top-flight league’s best player and top scorer striker Dame N’Doye and attacker Mamadou Niang, the star player of Asian champions Al Sadd was also named.
The Teranga Lions attacking options is further boosted by the inclusion of striker Dame N’Doye, voted the best player in Denmark this year. Traore’s new generation of Senegal stars include 17 players who will be making their maiden appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations. Only six players from their 2008 squad that played in the tournament remain in the squad.
This means the Teranga Lions will be counting on the experience of goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, defenders Bayal Sall, Souleymane Diawara, Guirane Ndaw, Pape Malickou Diakhate and striker Niang who were all part of the squad in Ghana to help them win the title.
With just four midfielders in the team, coach Traore defended the attacking-minded squad by insisting that his players are versatile. “It is a balanced list because of the versatility amongst the players,” Traore said.