Cameroon will be hot favourites with regard to qualifier- Hervé Renard

Côte d’Ivoire’s coach Hervé Renard admits they will have no choice but to meet the challenge in their Group D of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, which also includes Guinea, Mali and their opponents of the qualifying campaign, Cameroon.

And while the Frenchman considers the Indomitable Lions to be the favourites given their performance in the qualifiers, he is adamant that the Elephants’ ambition must be worthy of their continental status.

“Cameroon will be the hot favourites with regards to the qualifiers, but nothing can be taken for granted. Tournament’s finals are something completely different,” Renard told AFP following the draw in Malabo on Wednesday night.

“Some of our key players have retired. We started a renewal process, and given our difficult qualifying campaign I believe we are not amongst the hottest favourites. Some teams have performed much better.

“But there will always be high expectations around Côte d’Ivoire. There is the name Côte d’Ivoire. With three World Cup finals in recent years, we cannot hide.”

Based in Malabo, the Elephants will kick off their AFCON campaign against Guinea on January 20, before facing Mali on January 24 and Cameroon four days later.