Two Strikers That Could Steal the Show at the Upcoming Africa Cup of Nations 

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway on January 13th and 24 teams will battle it out for continental glory. The final will take place at the state-of-the-art Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.Senegal are the reigning champions after former teammates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah squared off in the showpiece three years ago, with the current Al-Nassr man coming out on top.While those two are household names that will be in attendance once more, here are two strikers who could steal the show.

Patson Daka – Zambia

When Zambia won the African Cup of Nations in 2012, we knew that it was a big moment for the country. But we never could have predicted just how much people would start paying attention to the beautiful game after that. Suddenly, everyone was a football fanatic, and it seemed like you couldn’t walk down the street without seeing someone wearing a Chipolopolo jersey.Even online casinos in Zambia got in on the action, with flashy football-themed slot games popping up left and right. The likes of NetEnt’s Football: Champions Cup and Microgaming’s Football Star have proven to be a hit, and here you can find out more about where these games are offered and the bonuses available. In a couple of months, football will take centre stage once more. And who better to lead the Zambians into action than star striker Patson Daka?Since making the move to Leicester City last summer, the 25-year-old hitman has found both goals and playing times hard to come by. As you can read here, he netted just four times as the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League last season and he’s made just one substitute appearance for the Midlands club this term. But that lack of form hasn’t translated to the international scene.The former RB Salzburg man fired in six goals in qualifying, finishing second overall, four goals behind Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen. Although being drawn with World Cup semifinalists Morocco in the group stage, Zambia have two more winnable games against DR Congo and Tanzania.

🇳🇬💥 Victor Boniface just keeps scoring! 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/Tod9cU80oK

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 28, 2023

 

Victor Boniface – Nigeria

When people think of Nigerian football at the moment, they think of the aforementioned Victor Osimhen. The 2023 Scudetto winner is one of the most sought-after strikers on the planet at present, however, he isn’t in the kind of form that saw him lead Napoli to a first Serie A crown in 33 years last season.He’s netted six times in ten games so far this term, which is hardly bad, but another Nigerian striker is currently taking Europe by storm.As covered here, that man is Bayer Leverkusen sensation Victor Boniface. The former Union SG man has hit the ground running since his €20m move to the BayArena in the summer, netting nine times in 11 games and making the rest of the continent stand up and take notice.Should Osimhen misfire in the winter, then the Super Eagles have a striker only too willing to step in and carry the heavy burden of Nigerian expectations on his shoulders.