There are 32 Premier League players earmarked for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and all have now been red-flagged for Gameweek 17 and beyond.
We know who’s going and when they’re leaving – but what about their return dates?
In this article we look at the bookmakers’ odds for each country that has called up players from the English top flight.
GAMEWEEK/AFCON ROUND OVERVIEW
Before we move on to the bookmakers, a reminder of how the AFCON rounds compare to Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweeks:
If the group stage is abandoned, players can return as early as Gameweek 20.
Those who make it to the last 16 will miss four or five Gameweeks. Players eliminated in the quarter-finals will also miss five Gameweeks.
If you go all the way to the semi-finals, you have to sit out six Gameweeks, because there is also a play-off for third/fourth place.
BOOKIES PERCENTAGES FOR EACH ROUND
Here we go with the bookmakers’ percentages for all 14 countries that will be represented in the Premier League at this winter’s tournament.
We have also included an expected completion date and a possible return date.
A reminder that these odds/projections are purely based on the bookmakers’ expectations – and things rarely go according to script!
ANALYSIS
There are earlier return dates for two of the countries expected to be eliminated in the final 16 countries. That’s because the round of 16 is expected to cover Mali And South Africa are scheduled for January 3 and 4, possibly possible Yves Bissouma (£5.2 million) and Lyle Foster (£5.0m) to return in time for Gameweek 21. Not that Tottenham Hotspur are likely to select the first…
Morocco, Egypt, Algeria And Senegal are the four countries expected to make it to the AFCON semi-finals, so their players – included Mohammed Salah (£14.0 million), Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7 million), Ismail Sarr (£6.4 million) and Indian education (£6.4m) – may not return until Gameweek 23.
Host country Morocco is indeed the tournament favorite.
Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt And SenegalIf they win their group as expected, they would face one of the four third-placed teams in the last 16. That should guarantee safe passage to the quarter-finals, barring any shocks.
You may have noticed that the odds for Bryan Mbeumo‘s (£8.2 million) Cameroon are relatively low.
That’s because bookmakers expect them to finish second in their group behind Ivory Coast, potentially setting up a tougher round of 16 showdown with South Africa. Even if they get through that, host country Morocco awaits in the quarter-finals.
There’s a good chance we’ll see Sunderland’s Reinildo Mandava (£3.9m) back in action before any of the other players above. His country, Mozambique, is among the outsiders of Group F.
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