Four places up for grabs as last round of group matches open

By Peter Auf der Heyde Jan 29, 2012, 5:01 GMT

Libreville, Gabon - There is still plenty at stake in the last round of group matches at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Group A gets the ball rolling on Sunday in the Equatorial Guinean cities of Malabo and Bata, with the co-hosts, who are ranked a lowly 151 in the FIFA world rankings, surprisingly already qualified for the round of the last eight.

They currently top the group with six points ahead of their match against second-place Zambia, who are on four points.

Libya, who have a point from their 2-2 draw against Zambia, need to beat Senegal and hope that Zambia lose to Equatorial Guinea to stand any chance of going through.

The other co-hosts, Gabon, have also qualified, but are still involved in a tight battle with also qualified Tunisia. The two go head-to-head Tuesday in Franceville in a game that will decide the winner of group C.

Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been one of the stars of the tournament so far, said that they were now looking forward to playing their next game in Franceville.

'The atmosphere in Libreville has been terrific, and the fans helped us win the matches. I am confident it will be the same in Franceville, and then anything can happen,' said the Saint Etienne player, whose father Pierre was in the Gabon side in 1996 when the Panthers last advanced to the round of the last eight.

Morocco, who were considered one of the pre-tournament favorites, have been knocked-out, as have first-timers Niger, who were unlucky to lose to Tunisia on Friday.

Tunisia captain Karim Haggui has said that they are determined to win the group. 'We want to stay in Libreville for our next matches, and that is the case if we win the group.'

The Ivory Coast, with their whole array of Premier League stars like Didier Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure and Salomon Kalou, have already made sure of qualifying from group B.

They take on Angola in Malabo, in a game that the Palencas Negras need to draw or win, if they want to be guaranteed to join the Elephants in the quarter-finals.

Sudan, who take on eliminated Burkina Faso in Bata, have to win and hope that Angola lose to stand any chance of remaining in the competition beyond Monday's matches.

The final matches take place Wednesday.

Ghana's Black Stars, who are the only team with two wins out of two that have not yet qualified, need a point against Guinea. The Syli Nationale, who crushed Botswana 6-1 on Saturday, will be going all-out for a win, as they are only guaranteed a place in the next round with a victory. If they fail to win the game, they will have to glance anxiously to Libreville, where Mali take on Botswana, knowing that they no longer have their fate in their own hands.