Betting tips / Michael Lintorn / 18 January 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Ivory Coast's record at the African Cup hardly vindicates them being frontrunners to take out top honours, and Michael Lintorn thinks it's time for Drogba and co to finally deliver.

As is often the case, no country at this year's African Nations Cup boasts as many high-profile players as the Ivory Coast, whose latest squad features Kolo and Yaya Toure, Cheick Tiote, Salomon Kalou, Gervinho and Didier Drogba among others.

With such a huge number of stars who are revered in Europe, it is perhaps unsurprising that they are strong favourites to win the tournament at [2.58] ahead of their opening game against Sudan on Sunday, in which they are [1.23] jollies.

However, this isn't the first time that this talented group have battled to prove that they are the best team in Africa - indeed all bar one of the six listed earlier debuted in 2007 or before - and their recent record in the competition is desperately disappointing.

Their one previous success was achieved with a far less illustrious group of players in 1992. Since coming to international prominence midway through the last decade, they have frequently been fancied, without ever managing to get the job done.

In 2006, the Elephants were the best performers besides Egypt, who beat them in the group stage and then saw them off on penalties in the final. Two years later, they were even more impressive, strolling into the semi-finals before being outclassed 4-1 by the Pharaohs.

Those two showings led to them entering the 2010 edition as [3.4] favourites, but on that occasion they didn't even get to meet Egypt, with Algeria knocking them out in the quarter-finals, ensuring that they exited having won only once.

What's different now?

Well, they excelled in qualifying, claiming victories in all six of their matches. Getting into the tournament has never been a problem though.

The main reason that they are shorter than in 2010 despite flopping then is that the holders Egypt failed to qualify. Neither did three of the other four nations to have lifted the trophy since they did in 1992 - Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon - nor the side who shocked them last time, Algeria.

So the question to ask before deciding to back or lay Ivory Coast is whether you are being influenced by the big names at their disposal, or the ones notable for their absence in the winner market.