Stephen Constantine factfile

No coach is better qualified than Stephen Constantine to analyse the Africa Cup of Nations. Appointed head coach of Malawi last February, after successful stints in charge of Nepal and India, he has immersed himself in the continent's football since.

Times Online is grateful then that the former Millwall coach has taken time out from the task of trying to turnaround a team ranked 137th in the world and agreed to provide an insider's guide to this month's tournament in Ghana.

His predictions include several surprises. He suspects that several traditional heavyweights will falter, a side with no tradition of succcess will produce a few shocks and that Henri Camara will show West Ham United fans what they're missing.

And Malawi? Given no training pitches and only eight footballs on his arrival, Constantine did not quite get them through to the finals after joining part of the way through qualification stage, but he is looking forward to the showpiece event nonetheless.

"With the World Cup coming up, this a great opportunity for African football to show the world it is capable of putting together this kind of tournament," says the 45-year-old, a member of the elite panel of Fifa instructors. "I'm convinced it'll be a success."

Africa Cup of Nations

Group A
Ghana
Guinea
Morocco
Namibia

SC prediction: Ghana winners; Guinea runners-up

SC: "Being hosts gives Ghana a significant advantage because a home crowd has even more influence on a match than it does on other countries, even the Premier League. Plus, they have one of the strongest squads in the competition, including perhaps the best midfield, with Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Stephen Appiah.

"It is important, though, that their big names really want to play. The thought will be in their back of their minds that if they risk injury it could have serious consequences on the remainder of their season and even their club career. It's difficult for them.

"We played against Morocco in qualification and I wasn't that impressed with them. We lost twice but only narrowly, 2-0 away and 1-0 in Malawi. Talal El Karkouri, the former Charlton Athletic defender, is solid at the back and Youssouf Hadji will create problems in attack but their squad lacks strength in depth and, if they lose a player or two, will struggle.

"Namibia have done well simply to reach the finals. They topped their group, but only after edging a victory over Egypt in their last game. They players are nearly all African-based and make for a decent side, but I can't see them beating Guinea.

"I watched Guinea recently when they drew with Tunisia and they were strong. They have a good collection of European-based players, including Bobo Balde, and Fode Monsare at Toulouse. They should qualify as runners-up."

Group B
Benin
Ivory Coast
Mali
Nigeria

Prediction: Ivory Coast, winners; Nigeria, runners-up

"Many will see the Ivory Coast as potential winners but they recently lost their coach, Uli Stielike - his son was ill and he had to return to Germany. He has been replaced by Gerard Gili, a good coach who was in charge of their Olympic team, but it is difficult to know what effect this will have on the players.

"That said, they were extremely confident when I visited the country recently. They were delighted that the draw has given them matches only 30 minutes from their border with Ghana. It means they will effectively be playing home matches.

"Mali and Benin are the two weaker sides in the group, although they both have a couple of match-winners. Most English football fans will know Mali's Fredi Kanoute while Stéphane Sessegnon, the young Le Mans midfielder, can control a match from midfield for Benin. But both teams lack strength in depth and I expect that will tell against Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

"Nigeria, of course, have a lot of British-based players - most notably in attack, with Yakubu, Kanu and Obafemi Martins - and good pedigree in the tournament but their form recently has been unconvincing.

"I expect them to qualify from the group as runners-up but I don't think they'll make it beyond the semi-finals."

Group C
Cameroon
Egypt
Sudan
Zambia

Prediction: Egypt, winners; Sudan, runners-up

"The group of death. Cameroon have a formidable selection of forwards, most notably Samuel Eto'o and Joseph-Desire Job, but are not quite the team they were and could end up last of these four teams.

"Zambia are exceptional. They were impressive throughout qualification, particularly in a 3-1 victory in South Africa when they tore the host team apart. They have strength in depth, too. We played their Under-23 team recently and they were excellent.

"Sudan are the emerging team in African football. They have drawn all of their squad from two very strong sides, Al Hilal - who reached the semi-finals of the most recent African Champions League - and Al Merreikh, so will have the understanding of a club team. They haven't competed in the tournament since 1970 and have no history of success, but I expect them to do well.

"By contrast, Egypt have won the tournament five times and qualified from their group easily. We have been drawn against them in our World Cup qualifying group and I know it won't be easy. They're strong defensively and, though English fans might struggle to believe it, a lot of their creative work revolves around Hossam Ghaly - who is well suited to African football.

"Gun to my head, I expect them to qualify along with Sudan."

Group D
Angola
Senegal
South Africa
Tunisia

Prediction: Tunisia, winners; Angola, runners-up

"We played against South Africa recently and lost but I was not that impressed. With everybody fit, they're not a bad side, and technically fairly sound. But they're probably not as physically strong as the best teams in the competition.

"Plus, as their manager Carlos Alberto said recently, they seem unable to release the ball as quickly as they should. It's a problem they will have to eradicate if they're going to have any impact on the World Cup in 2010.

"We played Senegal and lost 3-2. With El Hadji Diouf and Henri Camara - who is excellent for the national team - they're strong offensively but they look susceptible at the back. If we could score twice against them, Tunisia and Angola will beat them.

"I was impressed when I watched Angola. They're proved a decent team in the World Cup, when they drew against Iran and Mexico, and have probably improved since. I expect they'll qualify but struggle to get beyond the quarter-finals.

"Tunisia are always strong. They have a couple of very good French-based forwards [Issam Jomaa and Francileudo Dos] and Mehdi Nafti, the Birmingham midfielder, is an underrated player. They should top the group."

Overall prediction

Semi-finals: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia

Runners-up: Ivory Coast

Winners: Ghana

"A tough, tough call. There's little between Ghana and Ivory Coast and a lot will depend on how Didier Drogba recovers from surgery. If he is at his best, Ivory Coast could win the competition.

"It is hard, though, to overstate the significance of playing at home. In the knockout stages, the Ghanian people could give their side the edge."

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