Former Super Eagles Midfielder, John Mikel Obi insists Nigeria is favorite for the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte D’Ivoire next year.

On Thursday in Abidjan, Nigeria was drawn in group A against the host nation, Ivory Coast.

Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau complete the group, but, Mikel expressed confidence that the Super Eagles stand a good chance of going all the way.

“We are in a tough group, but when we come to this tournament, we’re always favorites,” the 2013 AFCON winner said after the draw.

“There’s a lot of tough teams here, but we are Nigeria aren’t we.”

There have been 27 officially meetings between Nigeria and Ivory Coast, 8 of them were in the Africa Cup of Nations.

In their AFCON head-to-head, the contest has been pretty even, with both teams recording three wins each and settled for a draw on two occasions.

Meanwhile, at the 34th edition of the Cup of Nations, holders Senegal, 2022 FIFA World Cup fourth placed team, Morocco, Seven-time African Champions Egypt and 2019 winners Algeria will also vie for the most prestigious football trophy on the continent.

The tournament kicks off on January 13 with the host, Ivory Coast getting the games underway at the 60,000 Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, Ebimpé in Abidjan.