ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, January 11 – Ivory Coast coach François Zahoui culled his Africa Cup of Nations squad from 25 to 23, with Ukraine-based midfielder Ne Marco Taddei and French second division keeper Ibrahim Kone missing out.
One of the favourites for the January 21-February 12 continental showpiece in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon Ivory Coast are putting the finishing touches to their preparations at a training camp in Abu Dhabi.
They have warm-ups scheduled in the Gulf state against Tunisia and Libya for Friday and next Monday respectively.
Ivory Coast have been drawn in Group B where they will meet Angola, Burkina Faso and Sudan.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Gerard Gnanhouan (US Avranches/FRA), Daniel Yeboah (Dijon/FRA)
Defenders: Souleymane Bamba (Leicester/ENG), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor/TUR), Siaka Tiene (PSG/FRA), Benjamin Angoua (Valenciennes/FRA), Kolo Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Igor Lolo (FC Kuban/RUS), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray/TUR), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart/GER)
Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Kafoumba Coulibaly (Nice/FRA), Jean-Jacques Gosso (Orduspor/TUR), Didier Ya Konan (Hanover 96/GER), Max Gradel (St Etienne/FRA), Cheik Ismael Tiote (Newcastle/ENG)
Attackers: Salomon Kalou (Chelsea/ENG), Didier Drogba (Chelsea/ENG), Gervinho (Arsenal/ENG), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arhnem/NED), Kader Keita (Al Sadd/QAT).
