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In the first match of the day, Group A’s Malawi and Algeria will lock horns before Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso open Group B – the tournament’s group of death.
Ghana and Togo will close the day with an encounter at 18:30 GMT at the Estadio Chimandela in Cabinda.
Malawi vs Algeria 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
In the second game in Group A, Malawi will stay at the Estádio 11 de Novembro to face Algeria on January 11th 2010, at 13:45 GMT. Both sides are very much likely to be influenced by the score line of the Angola vs Mali game which would have taken place a day before.
Malawi will enter this match with a boost of confidence from their recent lucky 0-0 draw against 2010 Africa Cup of Nations favorites Ghana, but it is however probable that their concern will be slightly turned onto their scoring abilities.
Goal difference is among the regulations for the competition’s group stage in Angola; hence, placing the ball at the back of the net will be the biggest wish of the Flames of Malawi.
Algeria, on the other hand, will be combating to escape the fire of their opponents on Monday – when they both meet – hoping to get a luminous start in Africa’s biggest sporting event.
According to Algeria’s midfield play maker Karim Ziani, this game against Malawi will be extremely essential for Algeria, as it will have a lot impact on the rest of their 2010 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
"We will see what the first round (of the Africa Cup of Nations) will bring,” said the Algerian player."
"This especially applies to our first match against Malawi."
"It’s certain that this game will b.jpg)
e everything, but not one for pleasure; and to start our CAN satisfyingly, we really need to get a victory."
Indeed, a nice beginning could mean a lot for the Fennecs, who are already looking ahead to reaching the final in Angola.
Getting the maximum amount of points on match-day 1 will definitely please the president of the Algerian Football Federation, Mohamed Raouraoua.
"If God permits it, I hope we go to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations."
"It is not an option to just go there and content ourselves with participating," declared Mohammed.
We should then anticipate an entertaining match between Malawi and Algeria full of hit and highlighting some of the very best of mentalities in the world of African football.
Côte d’Ivoire vs Burkina Faso
The first match of Group B in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations will see La Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso fighting each other at the Estádio Chimandela, on January 11th, at 16:00 GMT.
Favorites Cote d’Ivoire hit by fatigue
Côte d’Ivoire are the hot favorites of this tournament, and they are normally expected to cruise into the knockout phase with not much difficulty. Yet, this prospect could be tarnished by a few confronts – among which the most remarkable one is nothing but fatigue.
In a recent interview with the press, the head coach of La Côte d’Ivoire Vahid Halilhodzic showed concerned about his team’s physical weakness, specifically making mention of his striker Didier Drogba – who was said to be very tired.
"We are concerned for all our players' fitness in the national football squad, especially players like (Didier) Drogba," he said.
"Drogba is involved in so many matches (at Chelsea), but he is a human being, not a machine."
Regardless of this fact, things have vaguely changed; ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Drogba’s health was reported to have significantly improved.
"It is true that I was slightly exhausted after being involved in Chelsea’s last game against Fulham," Drogba avowed during the first week of January.
"Even though, I hope my fitness will be better by the time we go to Angola."
The Elephants of La Côte d’Ivoire recently defeated Tanzania 1-0 and also won 2-0 against Rwanda in two warm-up matches ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Nevertheless, considering the numerous opportunities the Elephants had in both games, the team’s managing board thinks that they should have scored more goals.
Mentally strong Burkina Faso ready to bring down the Elephants?
As a result, despite the big names which belong to the Ivory Coast, the Elephants could stumble against a strong-minded Burkina Faso side in their first encounter of the tournament.
Burkina Faso are still bettering their standard in the African continent in terms of football achievements, and the fact that they were able to reach the finals of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola shows how dangerous they can be.
Having been destined to play against one of Africa’s best side ever, the Stallions of Burkina Faso will need to get their best men prepared to resist the weight of the Elephants.
Speaking of the winner of this match, it is somehow hard to pick the right team, bearing in mind the verity that upsets are never absent in great competitions such as the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana vs Togo
2008 Africa Cup of Nations bronze medalists Ghana will kick off their 2010 Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Togo on Sunday.
Ghana have the statistical edge
Ghana was the first African country to reach the finals of the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa after enjoying an easy run throughout the qualifiers. Therefore, the four-time African champions enter this tournament as favorites based on their recent statistics; expectations on the Ghanaian national team (The Black Stars) to commence with three points on match-day one are high.
The Black Stars have the edge over the Togolese, not only on paper but in terms of pedigree. Group B is Angola 2010’s group of death and history doesn’t favor Togo who have never managed to get past the first round in each of their seven previous appearances.
But Togo are ready to create an upset and qualify at the expense of either Burkina Faso, Ghana, or Cote d’Ivoire. The Sparrow Hawks, as they are called, have a poor head-to-head record against Ghana since they beat them 1-0 back in 2006. Togo have conceded 6 goals and scored only 3 against the Ghanaians in the last four meetings, while they’ve also succumbed to two defeats.
However, these negative statistics might have no effect when Togo clash up against Ghana on the first match-day of their 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. How well can the Togolese deal with the inexperience of Ghana’s new-look Black Star squad?
Ghana to face inexperienced squad negative effect?
Ghana’s coach Milovan Rajevac in fact promoted several players from the U-20 squad that won the youth World Cup in October 2009. Apart from midfielder Andre Dede Ayew Pele who will be featuring in his second Africa Cup of Nations tournament, former Black Satellites (Ghana’s U-20 national team) players will be taking part in their first senior competition.
Fans in 
Ghana are wary of the inexperience of young talents such as striker Ransford Osei and FIFA U-20 World Cup top scorer Dominic Adiyiah.
However, former Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic has faith in the Black Stars’ current manager and in his idea of filling a young and inexperienced squad at the senior level.
Ratomir Dujkovic explained:
"I’m following the tournament closely. I think that Ghana is going to cause a major surprise at the [2010 Africa Cup of Nations] tournament in Angola."
"The history of Rajevac in this country is that he takes potential youngsters and turns them into superstars," Ratomir continued before concluding:
"These young players are the U-20 World champions. They’ll also want to prove a point or two. They will cause problems for many countries."
Now if key players like Sulley Muntari and John Mensah are missing from the Ghana squad, this is not the end of the Black Stars' troubles.
Michael Essien, who is reported not to be fully fit, faced late visa problems and is now expected to miss Ghana's opener against Togo on Monday.
The Chelsea midfielder has been appointed to captain the squad throughout the tournament in replacement of skipper Steven Appiah and deputy John Mensah who are both missing from the roaster.
Now the armband will surely have to be carried by someone else. History would be written should Ghana defeat Togo on Monday as the Black Stars have the most inexperienced squad of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Players to watch in Ghana vs Togo match
Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor will be on the radar of Ghana’s defense as the Manchester City striker aims to create history with his side.
Speaking ahead of the competition, Adebayor revealed that he "would like to have some players besides him to make a difference".
This clearly shows that Togo will try and play a team game under the instructions of their skipper Adebayor instead of making the mistake of relying on the striker only.
Meanwhile, the Black Stars are mostly made of starlets led by Chelsea’s star midfielder Michael Essien. Among the players to watch will be FIFA U-20 top scorer Dominic Adiyiah and former Black Satellites captain and midfielder Ayew Pele.
