There are 32 Premier League players destined for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), all of them now red-flagged for Gameweek 17 and beyond.
We know who is going and when they leave – but what about their return dates?
In this article, we look at the bookmaker odds for each country that has called up players from the English top flight.
GAMEWEEK/AFCON ROUND OVERVIEW
Before we pass over to the bookies, a reminder of how the AFCON rounds match up with Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweeks:
A group stage exit could see players return as soon as Gameweek 20.
Those making it through to the last 16 will miss four or five Gameweeks. Players eliminated in the quarter-finals will also miss five Gameweeks.
Going all the way to the semi-finals means sitting out six Gameweeks, as there’s a third/fourth-place play-off to contest, too.
BOOKIES’ PERCENTAGES FOR EACH ROUND
Here we go, then, with the bookmakers’ percentages for all 14 nations who will have Premier League representation at this winter’s tournament.
We’ve listed a projected finish and a possible return date, too.
A reminder that these odds/projections are purely based on the bookies’ expectations – and things rarely ever go according to the script!
ANALYSIS
There are earlier return dates for two of the countries projected to be eliminated in the last 16. That’s because the round-of-16 ties anticipated to involve Mali and South Africa are scheduled for January 3 and 4, potentially allowing Yves Bissouma (£5.2m) and Lyle Foster (£5.0m) to return in time for Gameweek 21. Not that Tottenham Hotspur will likely be selecting the former…
Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Senegal are the four countries expected to make the AFCON semi-finals, so their players – including Mohamed Salah (£14.0m), Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.4m) and Iliman Ndiaye (£6.4m) – may not be back until Gameweek 23.
Host nation Morocco are the tournament favourites, indeed.
Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt and Senegal, should they win their groups as expected, would face one of the four third-placed teams in the last 16. That should ensure a safe passage to the quarter-finals, barring shocks.
You may have noticed that the odds for Bryan Mbeumo‘s (£8.2m) Cameroon are relatively low.
That’s because the bookies anticipate that they’ll finish second in their group, behind Ivory Coast, potentially setting up a trickier round-of-16 clash with South Africa. Even if they were to get through that, it’s hosts Morocco awaiting in the quarter-finals.
There’s a good chance we’re going to see Sunderland’s Reinildo Mandava (£3.9m) back in action before any of the other players above. His country, Mozambique, are the Group F outsiders.
