Equatorial Guinea stages Africa Cup of Nations draw

All eyes in Africa will be on Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday as the capital Malabo plays host to the draw for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations just weeks after Morocco was stripped of the right to host the event.
The ceremony to determine the group match-ups for the January 17 to February 8 continental showpiece was initially set for Rabat before Morocco asked for the tournament to be postponed because of the devastating Ebola outbreak, which has cost nearly 7,000 lives in west Africa.
Morocco was instead not only stripped of the right to host the tournament but disqualified from the event as Equatorial Guinea stepped in.
Equatorial Guinea, which co-hosted the 2012 event with Gabon, faces a race against time to be ready and the draw is set to shed light on the progress of preparations.
Four groups of four teams will be drawn in a round-robin first round line-up shared between the cities of Malabo, Bata, Mongomo and Ebebiyin.
- Ivory Coast, Algeria the teams to avoid -
Equatorial Guinea will be in the top-seeded hat as hosts -- just six months after the former Spanish colony was kicked out of the qualifiers following their fielding of an ineligible player against Mauritania.
They will be joined, as one of the top four seeds, by four-time champions Ghana, 2012 African winners Zambia and the Ivory Coast.
The "Elephants" of the Ivory Coast, who lost finals in 2006 and 2012 and also reached the semi-finals in 2008, remain a formidable force, with seedings determined by previous CAN results.
Their star-studded teams have undergone several changes in recent years as they get used to life without retired legend Didier Drogba and now lean on the coaching leadership of Frenchman Herve Renard, who led Zambia to their first title three years ago.
Manchester City's Yaya Toure and Roma striker Gervinho are  key players for the Ivory Coast with a strong cast of talent in place to support the 1992 champions.
Holders Nigeria and seven-time champions Egypt failed to qualify, leaving Algeria the danger team from hat number two alongside 2013 finalists Burkina Faso, Mali and Tunisia.
The "Desert Foxes" of Algeria reached the second round of the World Cup for the first time this year, and are chasing a second African title after their only success on home soil in 1990.
The country's football is enjoying a purple patch, with top club ES Setif recently winning the African Champions League and the CAN providing an opportunity for Algeria to boost their flourishing international reputation.
On paper, hat number four appears stronger than the third set of teams with former giants Senegal, Cameroon and Guinea joining the Congo while Cape Verde, South Africa, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo complete the 16-nation line-up in pot three.  
Cameroon, now without former captain Samuel Eto'o, failed to qualify in 2012 and 2013, which dented their ranking, while Senegal have failed to get past the first round since 2006.
The "Indomitable Lions" of Cameroon, won the last of their four African titles in 2002, when they defeated a Senegal team making their lone appearance in the championship match.
2015 CAN draw:
Pot 1: Equatorial Guinea (hosts), Ghana, Ivory Coast, Zambia
Pot 2: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Tunisia
Pot 3: Cape Verde, South Africa, Gabon, DR Congo
Pot 4: Cameroon, Senegal, Guinea, Congo
Source: AFP