Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi named in Tunisia’s Africa Cup of Nations squad | OneFootball

Tunisia have named a 28-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, blending experience with emerging talent.

Trabelsi announced the list on Thursday for a tournament running from 21 December to 18 January, according to L'Équipe. The squad reflects an ambition to end a wait that dates back to their only triumph in 2004.

Familiar faces to French audiences feature. Nice defender Ali Abdi, Lorient’s Montassar Talbi and Yan Valery, formerly of Angers, form part of the core. Ellyes Skhiri, formerly of Montpellier, and Naïm Sliti, previously at Dijon and Lille, bolster midfield.

Trabelsi also retained experience with Dylan Bronn, 30 with 47 caps, Ferjani Sassi, 33 with 97 caps, and Ali Maaloul, 35 with 93 caps.

Hannibal Mejbri, 22 with 39 caps and now at Burnley, makes the cut. Ismaël Gharbi, 21 with eight caps, and Elias Saad, 25 with nine caps, both at Augsburg, are joined by Sebastian Tounekti, 23 with four caps, of Celtic.

Tunisia are in Group C alongside Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania. With experience and promising youth, they will hope to mount a run after more than 20 years of waiting.

Source: L'Équipe