Angola (Black Antelopes)
Coach: Manuel Jose (Portugal)
Key players: Flavio, Gilberto, Manucho and Love
The opening game against Mali on Sunday will prove important for the hosts. The game will be used to gauge if the hosts can go all the way. On paper, Mali and World Cup finalists Algeria are favoured to go to the knockout stage but Angola's advantage will be the masses of Angolans who will pack the stadium whenever they are playing. But the main challenge for the hosts if they qualify for the quarterfinals, is that, they might meet either Ivory Coast or Ghana and it will depend on their character to reach the semis.
Though Flavio will miss the opening game against Mali, he will be fit for the second game to give his side the necessary experience to go through. Since their last appearance at the 2006 World Cup, Angola's performance has been declining and the Angolans are hoping that coach Manuel Jose will turn the tables around for the Black Antelopes. Angola have proven in the past that anything is possible in a game of football.
