Ivory Coast, who will meet Bafana Bafana in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations opener, have named their final squad for the tournament in Egypt, snubbing an in-form attacker who plies his trade in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Tired of reading? Click through the mini-gallery above to see some notable omissions from Ivory Coast's final AFCON squad.
In selecting his squad, Elephants boss Ibrahim Kamara trimmed down his provisional squad by five players, and announced his final squad after the two-time AFCON winners secured a 3-1 victory over Comoros in a warm-up match on Friday.
Kamara has selected a star-studded squad, headlined by LOSC Lille forward Nicolas Pepe, who was named in the 2018/19 Ligue 1 Team of the Season, Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, AC Milan's Franck Kessie, Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier and Toulouse star Max-Alain Gradel.
Former Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony was also named in the squad, despite currently being without a club after being released by Swansea following a loan stint with Al Arabi.
Watch: Bafana's COSAFA Cup Highlights vs Uganda
Abdoul Karim Cisse, who plays for Ivorian outfit SC Gagnoa, was omitted from the squad, alongside France-based duo Abdoulaye Bamba and Ismael Diomande, who were declared injured and unfit after various medical examinations were completed.
Shot-stopper Badra Ali Sangare, who suffered relegation from the Absa Premiership with Free State Stars, also got the nod.
Another two notable omissions are former Arsenal star Gervinho and former Chelsea star Salomon Kalou. Despite having 181 national caps and 50 goals between them, the Parma and Hertha BSC attackers failed to secure a place in the squad, and will not feature at the tournament.
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly will also play no part at AFCON 2019 after sustaining ligament damage while playing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in April.
The Elephants will fly out to Abu Dhabi for the second phase of their AFCON preparations, which will see them participate in warm-up games against Uganda on 14 June and Ethiopia on 18 June respectively, before Kamara's charges jet out to Egypt.
Ivory Coast are in Group D alongside South Africa, Morocco and Namibia.
Here is Ivory Coast's final 23-man squad that will do duty at AFCON 2019, as confirmed by the Ivorian Football Federation:
Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbohouo (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Badra Ali Sanagre (Free State Stars, South Africa), Tape Ira (FC San Pedro)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Wilfried Kanon (ADO Den Hague, Netherlands), Wonlo Coulibaly (ASEC Mimosas), Ismael Traore (Angers, France), Mamadou Bagayoko (Red Star, France), Cheikh Comara (Wydad Casablanca, Morocco), Souleyman Bamba (Rennes, France)
Midfielders: Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz, Germany), Geoffrey Serey Die (Neuchatel Xamax, Switzerland), Jean-Michael Seri (Fulham, England), Victorian Angban (Metz, France), Franck Kessie (AC Milan, Italy), Ibrahim Sangare (Toulouse, France)
Forwards: Max-Alain Gradel (Toulouse, France), Nicolas Pepe (Lille, France), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, England), Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa, England), Roger Assale (Young Boys Bern, Switzerland), Maxwell Cornet (Lyon, France), Wilfried Bony (unattached)
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Do you think Bafana can secure victory over Ivory Coast in their AFCON 2019 opener? What are your predictions for the clash? Have your say in the comments section below.
