Hatters duo could be missing in January after AFCON draw is made

Luton duo Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Issa Kabore could be missing for the Hatters in the early stages of next year after the draw for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations was made yesterday.

Long-serving Mpanzu has recently won his place back in the Democratic Republic of Congo team, who have qualified for the tournament, earning his third cap in the 1-0 defeat to South Africa recently.

The Leopards won the competition, to be held in the Ivory Coast, twice, the first time in 1968 as Congo-Kinshasa and then in 1974 as Zaire, also finishing third in 1998 and 2015, as they made the round of 16 in 2019, before failing to qualify in 2021.

Ranked 64th by FIFA, if selected, Mpanzu will take on Morocco (13th), Zambia (82nd) and Tanzania (122) in Group F.

Meanwhile, on-loan Manchester City defeat Kabore, who has played 32 times for Burkina Faso, is also expected to feature in what will be in his second AFCON tournament.

The 22-year-old was a big part of the Stallions team who finished fourth in 2022, losing the semi-final 3-1 to Senegal and then beaten 8-6 penalties by Cameroon in the third place play-off.

They also came third in 2017, finishing as runners up in 2013, when they lost 1-0 to Nigeria in the final.

Burkina Faso, ranked 58th by FIFA, are up against Algeria (34th), Mauritania (99th) and Angola (117th) in Group D of the tournament.

The competition, which was won by Senegal last time out, kicks off on January 13, 2024 and ends on February 11, 2024 with matches at six stadiums in five cities.

The group winners and runners-up and the four highest ranked third-placed teams qualify for the knockout stage.

If selected, the Hatters duo will miss the trip to Burnley on Saturday, January 13, although at the moment, no other games are scheduled until a home match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, January 30.

Should the two clubs get all the way to the final, then the Town pair would also be absent when Rob Edwards’ team go to Newcastle United on Saturday, February 3 and entertain Sheffield United on Saturday, February 10.

Full Groups

Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau.

Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique.

Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia.

Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola.

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia.

Group F: Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania.