ABIDJAN - Didier Drogba will lead a strong Côte d’Ivoire squad at next month’s CAF African Cup of Nations after being named in the final 23-man squad by coach Vahid Halilhodzic.

The Chelsea striker is one of five English Premier League players in the list - the others being Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal), Kolo Toure (Manchester City), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea) and Aruna Dindane (Portsmouth) - while there are also places for La Liga pair Yaya Toure and Didier Zokora.

Bosnian boss Halilhodzic had to trim his initial 30-man list ahead of the competition, which begins on January 10 in Angola. Les Elephants, who will again head into the competition as favourites, will be desperate to add to their only continental title, which came at the 1992 finals in Senegal.

The Ivorians, who open their campaign against Burkina Faso on 11 January before further Group B games against Ghana and Togo, will assemble for a training camp in Tanzania early next month.

Agencies