Ivorian legends Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure (the newly crowned Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year for the second straight year), have tipped Nigeria’s Super Eagles as one of the favourites to win the 29th Africa Cup of Nations.

They made the favourable prediction at yesterday’s Glo-CAF Awards ceremony at the Ghana State House, Accra, capital of Ghana. The two super stars who ran a close race for the footballer of the year award believe next year’s Nations Cup would be tougher than the previous two editions, saying there are six countries capable of winning the trophy.

To Toure, a rugged midfielder with English Premiership champions Manchester City: “Nigeria, Tunisia, Zambia, Ghana, Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire have strong teams that it will be difficult to predict the eventual winner of the competition. One can only do that after watching the first round games of the competition.

“But I believe that with the team we have, we can win the competition. It will be difficult, but we are going to try harder than we did last term.”

Expressing similar sentiments, Drogba, a Chelsea of England legend now plying his trade in China, said: “It will be tough for all the teams. It will be tougher because some of the teams that missed the last edition, like Nigeria, will be there to prove a point.

“But I want to assure everybody that Cote d’Ivoire will come to the party very prepared. We know the importance of winning the competition and we have all agreed that we will prepare well because to some of us, it is the most important competition left in our careers.”

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been in camp since Sunday to start preparation for the championship holding January 19 to February 10. Team coach Stephen Keshi yesterday released a list of 32 players from which the final 23 would be selected after the final round of preparations in Portugal.

•Photo: Nigeria’s Super Egales.