But his cheap fut coins confidence remained firm, though the team has only taken home the title once before, in 1992. "Ivory Coast are the favourite. We were favourites before the draw, and still are after it. We will have to prove it on the field," said Lamouchi.

Defending champions Zambia, who lifted the trophy against all odds this year, would prove their mettle once again, according to coach Herve Renard. "We are confident. We are here to make history. We did it in 2012. No one was able to say Zambia will win in 2012," he said. "We stayed a small team but we managed to go very far."