Tunisia team to beat - Bartlett

Charlton defender Talal El Karkouri embarks on his African Nations' Cup crusade on Friday and fellow Addick Shaun Bartlett has given his low-down on the competition.

El Karkouri's Atlas Lions, unbeaten in their warm-up games so far, take on the Ivory Coast in their first group game.

"I think Talal's Morocco could do well but I don't think too many people, including myself, can see past Tunisia,” said Shaun, who is not in the South Africa squad.

"They have developed a lot in the last few years and are also the current champions, and I think they are the team to beat.”

Tunisia, who edged qualification for the 2006 World Cup ahead of Morocco, are actually in the same Group C as Bafana Bafana, along with Zambia and Guinea, and Bartlett believes his countrymen will struggle to go beyond the quarter-final stage.

Bartlett himself isn't part of the squad having expressed his intention to retire from international football, although he could yet win another cap, his 75th, following a request from his national football association.

"I would be very surprised if South Africa get past the last eight," said the striker, currently enjoying a run in the Addicks' first team.

"Preparation hasn't been ideal; they have a caretaker manager in charge at the moment and they have also taken quite a few young, uncapped players while a few of the experienced players have stayed at home, so I think it's going to be tough for us."

Bartlett also highlighted that the competition will be a chance for football fans to see the likes of emerging nations Togo, Angola, Ivory Coast and Ghana who sealed shock places in next summer's World Cup. Of the five African qualifiers, only Tunisia have played on the world stage before.

"I think the really interesting thing about the competition will be to see how the likes of Togo, Angola and Ghana perform after qualifying for the World Cup," Shaun said.

"Everyone knows about the African super-powers of Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal, but none of those countries have qualified before so to see these new countries emerging on the world stage is terrific."

The competition will be packed with stars such as Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o and Chelsea's Didier Drogba - who represent Cameroon and the Ivory Coast respectively.

But Bartlett believes the man to watch is Tottenham Hotspur and Egypt striker Mido, who has been a major hit in his first full season at White Hart Lane.

"There's going to be some world class players on show but I will be very interested to see how Mido performs," said Shaun, who came on for Darren Bent in the 3-2 defeat to the North Londoners back in October, when the big targetman scored Spurs' second.

"I think he is very much the man in form and on home soil also, he is going to be very confident.

"Egypt are the hosts, and with Mido their main man he is going to be very much in the spotlight."

After taking on the Ivory Coast in the Cairo International Stadium on Friday, Morocco face hosts Egypt three days later and their Group A games conclude with minnows Libya on January 28th.