Afcon 2021: Ex-Chelsea star Geremi picks his Afcon title contenders

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Geremi Njitap has picked Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon and Morocco as his favourites for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations title.

The two-time Afcon winner has been following the tournament on his home soil and he revealed his satisfaction with the results of the four teams who finished as their group leaders after 2019 champions Algeria failed to win any game and ended their campaign in Cameroon at the bottom of Group E.

Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria and Mali led Group A, C, D and F respectively with unbeaten records after playing three matches.

“I’ve been impressed by the performances of some countries,” Geremi told GOAL. “When you look at Nigeria, very strong team and Mali is another strong team. For me, they are one of the biggest contenders for the title.

“Cameroon also, not because I’m Cameroonian but when you look at how they have played in the group stage with the goals scored, they are doing very well. Morocco are also strong.”

Nigeria take on Tunisia in the Round of 16 on Saturday followed by a date between the Indomitable Lions and Comoros at the Olembe Stadium on January 24. Morocco's outing against Malawi is fixed for January 25 while Mali battle Equatorial Guinea, a day later.

Geremi expressed his delight with the development of football in Africa, with reference to results in the group stage and he has predicted more upsets in games to come.

He added: “When you look at this Afcon now, there are a lot of surprises because we usually talk about big nations of football but when you look at the first few games in this competition there was nothing like that.

“I think it is good for the continent, it shows that football is growing in Africa and I hope it continues like that because we want football to be played everywhere in Africa. Of course, there will be big nations with experience making a difference. Personally, I think there will still be a lot of surprises in this tournament which is good.”

This interview was facilitated by Freebets.