Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane the stars but Africa Cup of Nations final about more than Liverpool duo

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp almost caused something of an international incident back in November when he referred to the Africa Cup of Nations as a ‘little tournament’. The comment was understandably not well received on the continent and following some heated backlash, the German was forced to explain that he was being ‘ironic’ and merely, if clumsily, expressing his dismay at losing some of his best players for Africa’s premier competition.

Ad/> In the most fitting twist of fate, two of the players in question, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, have played key roles in leading their respective nations, Senegal and Egypt, all the way to the final of the tournament. Africa Cup of NationsMane and Salah's AFCON experience will benefit Liverpool — Klopp21 HOURS AGO Naturally, the impending showdown between the two Liverpool stars has dominated the headlines ahead of the match in Yaounde, but focusing solely on the battle between club-mates risks doing the game a disservice.

Mane’s Senegal come into the match just 90 minutes away from justifying their tag as pre-tournament favourites and lifting the trophy for the first time in their history. After a less-than-impressive showing in the group stage – scoring just once in their three matches – the Lions of Teranga have exploded into life in the knockouts with relatively convincing wins over Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso.