Former Black Stars defender, Anthony Baffoe, has described Ghana pairing Egypt in Group B of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as tricky.

However, the German-born Ghanaian believes Ghana will qualify from the group as one of the two top teams. Cape Verde and Mozambique are the other two teams to complete the group.

“It’s a very tricky group with Egypt who are a strong team with a leader Mohammed Salah. We have Cape Verde who have been uncomfortable for us to play. We have Mozambique making it two Portuguese-speaking countries,” Baffoe told the media after the draw in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday night.

Baffoe, who is capped 25 times for the Black Stars, added that Ghana have enough quality to be competitive in the tournament next year.

“I’m confident that we will emerge first or second in the group. In our last tournament in Cameroon, we didn’t perform well but generally, we are a tournament team. We still have experienced players like Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew and Mohammed Kudus who is the superstar in the team.

“We are stabilized with our goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi. I have confidence in the team, it’s not going to be easy but I know Ghana will come out of this group. The gap between the teams is becoming closer but we have to be on our toes to do well.”

The 2023 AFCON will kick off on January 13 and conclude on February 11, 2024.