MALI, Jan 7 – Monaco’s Adama Traore and Crystal Palace striker Bakary Sako headline Mali’s final 23-man squad for the African Nations Cup.
Coach Alain Giresse has named a squad of predominantly foreign-based players, with just two players from the Mali domestic league. Both are goalkeepers, Soumaila Diakité and Djigui Diarra of Stade Malien.
The Eagles are currently preparing for the tournament in Casablanca, Morocco, where they will take on Burkina Faso in a friendly on Saturday and then play a local Moroccan side in their final warm-up on 10 January.
The Mali squad will travel to Gabon on 14 January where they will face Egypt, Uganda and Ghana in Group D of the competition.
They open their campaign at the tournament in Gabon against Egypt on 17 January before facing Uganda and Ghana.
Mali squad:
Goalkeepers: Soumaila Diakité (Stade Malien de Bamako), Djigui Diarra (Stade Malien de Bamako), Oumar Sissoko (Orléans, France)
Defenders: Ousmane Coulibaly (Panathinaikos, Greece), Hamari Traore (Reims, France), Molla Wagué (Udinese, Italy), Salif Coulibaly (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Mohamed Oumar Konaté (RS Berkane, Morocco), Mahamadou N’Diaye (Troyes, France), Youssouf Koné (Lille, France)
Midfielders: Yves Bissouma (Lille, France), Mamoutou N’Diaye (Royal Antwerp, Belgium), Lassana Coulibaly (Bastia, France), Yacouba Sylla (Montpellier, France), Samba Sow (Kayserispor, Turkey), Adama Traoré (AS Monaco, France), Sambou Yatabaré (Werder Bremen, Germany)
Forwards: Moussa Marega (Vitória Guimarães, Portugal), Kalifa Coulibaly (Gent, Belgium), Moustapha Yatabaré (Karabukspor, Turkey), Bakary Sako (Crystal Palace, England), Moussa Doumbia (Rostov, Russia)
-By Kwese Sport-