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AFCON 2025 Favorites: Who Will Rise to the Challenge Against Ivory Coast?

AFCON 2025 in Morocco shapes up as a wide‑open tournament where holders Ivory Coast arrive with a target on their backs and a cluster of heavyweights – Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and Cameroon – all capable of dethroning them. The quality of squads, the depth of tactical ideas and the tournament’s expanded 24‑team format mean the question is no longer “Can anyone stop Ivory Coast?” but “Who will be brave enough to seize the moment when it comes?”​ Setting the stage in Morocco AFCON 2025 runs from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, with 24 teams competing across six Moroccan cities and nine stadiums. The tournament keeps the now‑familiar structure of six groups of four, with the top two and the four best third‑placed teams reaching the round of 16, which often produces chaotic, upset‑filled knockout brackets.​ The hosts Morocco headline Group A with Mali, Zambia and Comoros, while Ivory Coast are drawn into a star‑studded Group F with Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique, ensu...
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A young Real Madrid player is expected to play a bigger part in future games.


Following Real Madrid's devastating 2–5 loss to FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, Carlo Ancelotti has been the target of a lot of criticism.

The Real Madrid manager's choice to start Aurelien Tchouameni at center back instead of Raul Asencio is one of the main criticisms leveled at him.

The Frenchman has had some success at center back, but Sunday's match ended badly as the Barça onslaught completely destroyed the player.

Raul Asencio will become more well-known.


Raul Asencio is expected to play a larger role in the starting lineup in the upcoming games, according to Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, despite the mounting worries about Real Madrid's defensive shortcomings.

Every time manager Ancelotti has given the 21-year-old La Fabrica graduate a chance, he has performed admirably.

However, club sources maintain that it was always going to be tough for him to start against Barcelona last Saturday because Los Blancos had maintained a clean sheet against RCD Mallorca in the semi-final.

However, after the final disaster against Barcelona, a change is now considered necessary, and Asencio will be given a bigger position in the team as a reward for his performance.

Real Madrid has no intention of acquiring a new center-back this month, and Ancelotti must begin to have greater faith in the 21-year-old young player given Antonio Rudiger's knee issues.

The defending Spanish and European champions will also benefit from David Alaba's impending return, as the Austrian is anticipated to be reincorporated into the match dynamics starting this week.
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