Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango has stated that his side can beat Ghana and Egypt to qualify out of Group D at next year's Africa Cup of Nations.

Uganda will begin their campaign in Port Gentil with a game against Ghana on January 17.

The Cranes haven recorded good results against Ghana in recent times are hopeful of another setback.

Goalkeeper of the team Denis Onyango believes that is their target.

''Even though I think we are regarded as the whipping boys of the group, I think we can surprise the other teams. Our fans accept that we have not been there for a long time, so they are not expecting any miracles from us, but we want to escape the group phase,'' Onyango told FIFA.com in an interview.

''It will also be very good for us to play against Egypt ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in March. After drawing in Ghana, we believe in ourselves. If we did not believe in ourselves, we would not even go to the Nations Cup.

''We are, of course, aware that the winners of the Nations Cup qualify for the Confederations Cup. And why should we not dream about that too?.''

The Cranes will play Mali and Egypt in the remaining grouop fixtures.