Overview
- The 24-team tournament runs December 21 to January 18 across nine stadiums in six Moroccan cities, with the opener and final at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
- With the mandatory release in effect today, Manchester United have held talks with Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco to try to keep Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui available for tonight’s Bournemouth match.
- Up to 17 Premier League clubs will lose players for multiple fixtures, with some absences potentially lasting until the January 18 final, and Sunderland projected as the hardest hit side.
- Premier League call-ups expected at AFCON include Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, Noussair Mazraoui, Carlos Baleba, Iliman Ndiaye, Pape Matar Sarr, Idrissa Gueye, Alex Iwobi and Omar Marmoush, with players possibly missing up to six league games.
- Final preparations continue this week, including South Africa’s friendly against a home-based Ghana selection before Bafana Bafana open Group B against Angola on December 22.