Friday 9 January 2015 19:19, UK
Yaya Toure could miss Manchester City’s crunch Premier League clash with title rivals Chelsea later this month because of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Toure, Wilfried Bony and Papiss Cisse are among up to 20 Premier League stars competing in the Equatorial Guinea showpiece, which runs for three weeks from January 17.
City are only trailing top-of-the-table Chelsea on alphabetical order but key man Toure could be preparing for a quarter-final tie with Ivory Coast when the two teams meet live on Sky Sports on January 31.
With the Asian Cup (January 9-31) also taking place this month, several Premier League teams will be without players, with Newcastle, West Ham and Leicester among the most affected. However, Chelsea, Manchester United, Burnley, Arsenal, Sunderland and QPR will all have full squads to pick from.
Here skysports.com looks at which players will be on international duty – and which Premier League games they’ll miss.
Chris Herd will be representing Australia at the Asian Cup this month. The 25-year-old had a loan spell with Bolton cut short earlier this season but would miss Villa’s games with Leicester and Liverpool, and potentially Arsenal, depending on Australia’s progress.
Captain Mile Jedinak has flown home to Australia as his nation aim to win their first Asian Cup on home soil. With the group stage running until January 17, he will definitely miss games against Tottenham and Burnley, but could also miss a clash with Everton should Australia reach the final. Yannick Bolasie, who has appeared in every Palace Premier League game this season, will miss the same fixtures, depending on Congo’s progress in Equatorial Guinea, but may not be back in time for Palace’s home game with Newcastle on February 11, should his nation reach the final. Adlene Guedioura is on standby for Algeria.
Christian Atsu may have only been used as a bit-part player under Roberto Martinez this season, but the Ghana international has been called up to help his nation try to improve on their fourth-place finish in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He’ll be unavailable for games against Man City, West Brom and Crystal Palace, and potentially Liverpool and Chelsea.
Mohamed Diame was set to play a key role for Senegal at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations but injury seems to have ruled him out of the tournament.
First-team regulars Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) and Jeffrey Schlupp (Ghana) will both be departing for Equatorial Guinea, where their countries have been paired together in Group C. That means they’ll definitely miss home matches with Aston Villa and Stoke, plus a trip to Manchester United. They could also miss Crystal Palace and Arsenal, depending on their respective sides’ progress.
Kolo Toure started five of Liverpool’s six fixtures in December but will miss a number of important January games for Liverpool to link up with his brother Yaya for Ivory Coast. While Brendan Rodgers should have the squad to cover his absence against Sunderland, Aston Villa and West Ham, Liverpool may miss his experience in a two-leg Capital One Cup semi-final with Chelsea.
Seven goals in ten games from November 5, including a stunning strike against Burnley, highlights the importance of Yaya Toure to Manchester City’s title defence, however the tall midfielder will miss a number of big matches due to Africa Cup of Nations duty. Toure will definitely be unavailable for City’s matches with Everton, Arsenal and title-rivals Chelsea, while he could also miss tests with Hull and Stoke, should Ivory Coast progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
Papiss Cisse was the two-goal hero when Newcastle ended Chelsea’s unbeaten run last month, but the Senegal striker will be absent for the return fixture. Key midfielder Cheick Tiote (Ivory Coast) is also heading to Equatorial Guinea, however, Mehdi Abeid (Algeria) has withdrawn form the tournament due to injury. As well as the Chelsea game, Cisse and Tiote will miss matches with Southampton and Hull, plus February tests against Stoke and Crystal Palace, depending on their nations’ progress.
Southampton regular Sadio Mane was due to link up with the Senegal squad at the Africa Cup of Nations, but has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a calf injury. Emmanuel Mayuka, who has only been used as a sub so far this term, will be on duty with Zambia and will miss the top-four chasers’ contests with Manchester United, Newcastle and Swansea, and potentially games against QPR and West Ham. Maya Yoshida, meanwhile, will be playing for Japan in the Asian Cup and certainly miss the first two of those contests and possibly the Swansea game, too.
Mame Biram Diouf has been a regular under Mark Hughes at Stoke this season, however, the forward, who scored both goals in a 2-0 win over West Brom on December 28 and has netted six times in all competitions, will be playing for Senegal this month. He’ll miss games with Arsenal, Leicester and QPR, and potentially Newcastle and Man City, depending on Senegal’s progress.
Wilfried Bony scored more goals than any other Premier League player in 2014 but the Swansea striker will be unavailable for games against West Ham, Chelsea and Southampton, and potentially Sunderland and West Brom, due to Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign. Bony has netted nine goals in 20 games this season for the Welsh side and will be a big miss for boss Garry Monk. Swansea will also be without Ki Sung-Yueng, who has made 21 this season but will be at the Asia Cup with South Korea.
Nabil Bentaleb has made 17 appearances for Spurs in all competitions this season, however, the talented youngster will link up with Algeria this month and definitely miss Tottenham’s Capital One Cup semi-final two legs with Sheffield United, as well as Premier League games with Crystal Palace, Sunderland and West Brom. The midfielder could also miss the north London derby with Arsenal on February 7 and a trip to Liverpool three days later, depending on Algeria’s progress. Bongani Khumalo could represent South Africa but he is continuing his recovery from a long-term knee injury.
West Brom and new boss Tony Pulis will be without Youssouf Mulumbu for the games against Hull, Everton and Tottenham, plus, potentially, tests against Burnley and Swansea. The Congo international has recently nailed down a place in the Baggies’ midfield. Jason Davidson will also be unavailable for those first three fixtures, as he’s representing Australia in the Asian Cup.
Diafra Sakho has been a key player in West Ham’s fine first-half to the season. However, the Senegal striker, who has netted eight times in 14 top-flight matches this term, will be unavailable for games against Swansea, Hull and Liverpool and potentially Manchester United and Southampton. Compatriot Cheikhou Kouyate, who has made 16 Premier League appearances this season, has also been called up.
