Africa Cup of Nations 2023: Which Premier League stars are heading to Ivory Coast?

• Most Premier League clubs represented in finals

• Salah and Egypt are sixth favourites

• Kudus and Ghana underrated contenders

Premier League players will have a key role at the African Nations Cup when the tournament gets under way later this month.

An array of stars from England's top flight will do battle in Ivory Coast as they look to make it all the way to the February 11 final.

Salah's still the main man

No fewer than 31 players from 17 different Premier League clubs are set to take part, including talisman such as Mohamed Salah, a penalty shoot-out losing finalist for Egypt at the last tournament two years ago.

Salah is looking to go one better this time and Egypt - African Nations Cup winners a record seven times - are 9/110.00 sixth favourites in the outright betting at the time of writing.

Salah's just one of several Premier League star harbouring genuine hopes of lifting the trophy. He and his Egypt team-mates face competition from host nation Ivory Coast, Group A favourites (at 5/61.84) and an understandably short 7/18.00 to win the tournament.

Salah and Egypt are 5/61.84 favourites to win Group B but the Liverpool man won't be expected to do it all on his own. Starring alongside him will be Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny, who enjoys a more prominent role for his country than club.

Stack of Nottingham Forest players

If the Ivorians end up lifting the trophy in front of their own fans, Premier League players will have played a full part in the triumph. The Elephants' captain is Nottingham Forest defender Serge Aurier, now in the veteran stage of his international career. Aurier's joined in the Ivory Coast squad by club-mates Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare, as well as Brighton's Simon Adingra.

Also in Group A, Nigeria have their own Nottingham Forest representative in Ola Aina, while Brentford's Frank Onyeka and Fulham duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi are also part of the Super Eagles' set-up.

Boasting tremendous attacking talent, Nigeria are 10/111.00 seventh favourites in the outright betting. At those odds they will attract interest.

Keep an eye on Kudus

Elsewhere in Group B there's another potential star of the tournament in West Ham's Mohammed Kudus. Thriving for the Hammers this season, Kudus will look to transfer his thrilling club form on to the international stage.

The 23-year-old's arguably the most important player for Ghana, who are 11/82.38 second favourites behind Egypt to win Group B and an appealing 14/115.00 in the outright market. Ghana are ninth favourites to win the tournament, and boast the potential to do better than their price suggests.

Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew provide Premier League company for Kudus in the Black Stars squad, while there's also Premier League experience on the touchline: Ghana's manager is former Brighton boss Chris Hughton.

The largest Premier League contingent will be on duty for Senegal, in Group C. The defending African Nations Cup champions - currently 6/17.00 favourites to retain their trophy - have named no fewer than six players from England's top flight in their squad.

Once again Nottingham Forest - who have six players at the tournament in total - are represented, this time through defender Moussa Niakhate and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate.

Fode Ballo Toure (Fulham), Idriss Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur) and Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) complete the Lions of Teranga's Premier League-based party.

Onana an Indomitable Lion

Elsewhere in Group C, we find the only Premier League goalkeeper on show: Manchester United's Andre Onana. Following in the footsteps of former national team greats Joseph-Antoine Bell and Thomas Nkono, Onana will keep goal for Cameroon.

The Indomitable Lions are 8/19.00 fifth favourites to land a fourth-ever African Nations Cup triumph, and 9/52.80 Group C second favourites behind Senegal.

Algeria's squad includes Premier League full-backs Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves) and Yasser Larouci (Sheffield United). Algeria won the trophy in 2019 and the manager that guided them to victory, ex-Manchester City and Southampton midfielder Djamel Belmadi, remains in charge today.

Algeria are 1/31.33 to win Group D and are clearly attracting interest, as they were recently cut to 13/27.50 second favourites in the outright market.

Behind Algeria, Burkina Faso are 4/15.00 second favourites to win Group D. They have their own Premier League full-back in Issa Kabore (Luton Town), while further forward, Bertrand Traore (Aston Villa) and Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth) will be key to the team's hopes of going deep in the tournament.

In Group E, Sheffield United defender Anis Ben Slimane is Tunisia's sole Premier League representative. Mali have named two Premier League players in their 27-man squad in Yves Bissouma (Tottenham) and Boubacar Traore (Wolves).

Tunisia are the 10/111.91 group favourites, with Mali 13/82.63 to top the pool.

Wissa targeting Group F upset

In Group F, Morocco have picked many of the same players that reached the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar just over a year ago. That means West Ham's Nayef Aguerd and Manchester United's Sofyan Amrabat will be on duty again.

The Atlas Lions are 4/91.44 to win Group F and 7/18.00 third favourites (alongside Ivory Coast) to be crowned champions.

Attempting to outperform Morocco in Group F will be Brentford striker Yoane Wissa. He's the sole Premier League player in DR Congo's 24-man squad. The Leopards are 9/25.50 to spring a surprise by topping Group F ahead of Morocco.

Full list of Premier League players:

Arsenal (Mohamed Elneny - Egypt)

Aston Villa (Bertrand Traore - Burkina Faso)

Bournemouth (Dango Ouattara - Burkina Faso, Antoine Semenyo - Ghana)

Brentford (Yoane Wissa - Congo, Frank Onyeka - Nigeria)

Brighton (Simon Adingra - Ivory Coast)

Burnley (no players)

Chelsea (Nicolas Jackson - Senegal)

Crystal Palace (Jordan Ayew - Ghana)

Everton (Idrissa Gana Gueye - Senegal)

Fulham (Fode Ballo-Toure - Senegal, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi - Nigeria)

Liverpool (Mohamed Salah - Egypt)

Luton (Issa Kabore - Burkina Faso)

Manchester City (no players)

Manchester United (Andre Onana - Cameroon, Sofyan Amrabat - Morocco)

Newcastle United (no players)

Nottingham Forest (Serge Aurier, Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangare - Ivory Coast, Cheikou Kouyate, Moussa Niakhate - Sengal, Ola Aina - Nigeria)

Sheffield United (Anis Ben Slimane - Tunisia, Yasser Larouci - Algeria)

Tottenham (Pape Sarr - Senegal, Yves Bissouma - Mali)

West Ham (Nayef Aguerd - Morocco, Mohamed Kudus - Ghana)

Wolves (Rayan Ait-Nouri - Algeria, Boubacar Traore - Mali)

AFCON 2023: Read my full guide to the tournament here!