The African Cup of Nations begins on Saturday and here is your definitive guide to Group A.

SENEGAL

Previous appearances in finals: 11

Best performance: Runners-up in 2002

FIFA world ranking: 44th

Coach: Amara Traore , 46, was a member of Senegal's squad that finished runners-up at the 2002 finals and then went onto reach the World Cup quarter-finals six months later. He spent his playing career in France, with more than 200 games at Gueugnon in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Senegal appointed him coach in 2009 and he has recently signed a new contract on the back of an impressive qualifying campaign in which Senegal easily disposed of former winners Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Star Men:

Moussa Sow (Lille). Age: 25 Position: Forward

French-born forward who played at under-21 level for the French before switching his allegiance to the country where his parents hail from. He was top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 25 goals, including the strike that secured the championship for his club. Lille had picked up him on a free transfer from Stade Rennes in 2010. He also got vital goals for Senegal in the Nations Cup qualifiers.

Souleymane Diawara (Olympique Marseille). Age: 33 Position: Defender

Imposing central defender who has also played at Girondins Bordeaux and in the English Premier League with Charlton Athletic and cost Marseille 7 million euros ($8.87 million) when he signed a four year deal in 2009. He has been a member of the Senegal squad for almost a decade, playing at three Nations Cup finals between 2004 and 2008. Holds a quirky record in France where he has won four League Cup winners' medals, more than any other player.

Demba Ba (Newcastle United). Age: 26 Position: Forward

One of a large contingent of French-born players in the Senegal squad who goes into the tournament on the back of a impressive first half of the Premier League season at Newcastle. His place in the Senegal starting lineup is still not secure but he got a key goal in the qualifiers against Cameroon and last week in a warm-up match against Sudan. His career started at Rouen in France and has seen him also play in Belgium and at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.

Prospects: Senegal have a new generation of players with the ability to match, or even better, their golden performance of a decade ago when the 2002 side went to the World Cup quarter-finals and lost on penalties in the Nations Cup finals to Cameroon. Senegal produced a steam-roller performance in the 2012 qualifying campaign, beating Cameroon and DR Congo to take top place in their group with two matches still to play. Their squad draws heavily from players in Ligue 1 although their Achilles heel is the goalkeeping berth with little international experience between the trio selected.

LIBYA

Previous appearances in finals: 2

Best performance: Runners-up in 1982

FIFA world ranking: 63rd

Coach: Brazilian Marcos Paqueta went nine months without a salary during the recent Libyan conflict yet remained determined to keep working with the team, eventually engineering their fairytale qualification to the finals despite a fractured country and team. Paqueta coached Saudi Arabia at the 2006 World Cup finals and had success with Brazil at the 2003 Under-20 World Cup and Under-17 World Cup. As a player he was on the books of Vasco da Gama and his previous coaching experience in Brazil includes stints at Flamengo and Fluminense.

Star Men:

Ahmed Zuway (CA Bizerte). Age: 29 Position: Forward

Tall and gangly striker who is the target man for the Libyan side and one of four players in the current squad who competed at their last Nations Cup finals appearance in 2006. Originally from Benghazi, he made his name at Tripoli club Al Ittihad but since the Libyan revolution has finally been able to play abroad in neighbouring Tunisia.

Walid Al Khatroushi (Al Ittihad). Age: 26 Position: Midfielder

Sprightly winger who has won off-field fame in recent months after the revelation he was among the rebel fighters that helped topple the Muammar Gaddafi regime. He has said other fighters attempted to protect him from frontline action because of his status as a footballer. Played for his club in the African Champions League and also had a brief spell at JS Kabylie in Algeria.

Samir Aboud (Al Ittihad). Age: 39 Position: Goalkeeper

Brought back at the age of 39 for Libya's last qualifying match in the Nations Cup preliminaries and proved the hero of their unlikely progress to the finals with a stellar performance. Debuted for Libya when they returned after a four-year ban, because of United Nations sanctions, in 1997 and was at the 2006 Nations Cup finals, albeit not as first choice. He has won nine Libyan league titles with his Tripoli-based club.

Prospects: Libya will hope the adrenaline of their qualifying campaign, fueled by energy of the political revolution in their country, will still be evident at the finals. There has been no organised football in the north African country since March but over the last months Libya's national team have trained extensively, mainly at camps in the Middle East. A lack of experience will likely cost them in a tough group but if they win their opening match against co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, they could again kick-start the momentum that saw them qualify against all odds.

ZAMBIA

Previous appearances in finals: 14

Best performance: Runners-up in 1974 and 1994

FIFA world ranking: 79th

Coach: Frenchman Herve Renard returns to take charge of Zambia for a second successive tournament, having been appointed in October. Italian Dario Bonetti qualified Zambia for the tournament but was fired straight after. Renard left Zambia after the last Nations Cup to become coach of Angola but was fired after just six months and then moved on to USM Alger in Algeria. The 43-year-old played at Cannes in France before working under compatriot Claude LeRoy in China, England and with Ghana's Black Stars.

Star Men:

Chris Katongo (Arminia Bielefeld). Age: 29. Position: Midfielder

Zambia's captain is now playing in China, after spells in South Africa, Denmark, Germany and Greece. A quick winger with a nose for goal, he had two seasons in the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld. He was promoted to sergeant in the Zambian army after he scored a hat-trick in a Nations Cup qualifier against South Africa in 2007, having started his career while pursuing a career in the military.

Collins Mbesuma (Lamontville Golden Arrows). Age: 27 Position: Forward

A burly striker whose frame often looks largely out of condition but whose strength is a menace for defenders and who has a poacher's instinct in the penalty area. Six years ago Mbesuma won a move to Portsmouth on the back of scoring 30 goals in a season with South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs, but he barely made an impression in England and also failed with subsequent moves to Turkey and Portugal. He is now back playing club football in Durban, South Africa.

Emmanuel Mayuka (Young Boys Berne) Age: 21 Position: Forward.

The youngest player at the 2008 Nations Cup finals, after which he moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Sold in 2010 to Switzerland, where he scored vital Europa League goals for Young Boys and has been a regular in the Swiss league. Played for Zambia at the World Youth Championship in 2007. Mayuka is a beneficiary of Zambia's long held policy of fast tracking promising teenage talent straight into the national team.

Prospects: Zambia compete at the Nations Cup for the 11th time in the last 12 editions, testimony to their consistency. But the Zambians have only made it past the first round once since reaching the semi-finals in 1996 - at the last edition in Angola where they lost to Nigeria on penalties in the quarter-finals. They have always been a consistent side but never had individual stars to add impetus to their team nor enough depth to get to the business end of the tournament.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Previous appearances in finals: 0

FIFA world ranking: 150th

Coach: Unheralded Brazilian Gilson Paulo was parachuted into take over as coach two weeks ago after the departure of Henri Michel, the veteran French coach who accused officials of interfering in his work. Gilson Paulo has worked on the coaching staff at Vasco da Gama and as head coach at Olara, Bangu and Portuguesa in Brazil. It is not certain that he will be the only man pulling the strings in terms of team selection for the co-hosts.

Star Men:

Rodolfo Bodipo (Deportivo La Coruna). Age: 34 Position: Forward

The best known player from Equatorial Guinea is now past his prime but will captain the side on their Nations Cup debut. His father is from Equatorial Guinea but his mother Spanish and Bodipo was born in Seville. He played first for Equatorial Guinea at the start of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers and been recalled in the wake of Michel's departure.

Javier Balbao (Beira Mar). Age: 26 Position: Midfielder

Signed by Real Madrid as a 20-year-old prospect in 2005 but Fabio Capello insisted he be loaned out for experience, spending a season at Racing Santander before returning to Real. But despite some Champions League appearances he never broke through and was sold for 4-million euro to Benfica in 2008. That move proved a flop and his contract was cancelled late August after which he signed for Beira Mar in the Portuguese top flight, where he has made just four starts this season.

Narcisse Ekanga (TP Mazembe Englebert). Age: 30 Position: Midfielder

Former Cameroon junior international whose qualification for Equatorial Guinea is dubious, reflecting the cavalier manner in which the former Spanish colony has enticed players from elsewhere to play for the national team, by offering them nationality and money. Ekanga is from Cameroon where he played top flight football until 2007 and then transferred to former African champions TP Mazembe Englebert in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Prospects: As co-hosts Equatorial Guinea will be hoping for some return on their investment into two new stadiums and other infrastructure around the tournament, even if they have never before played at this level. But they are the lowest ranked of the 16 competitors and a side in turmoil split into two factions; a large contingent of Spanish-based players, linked to the country through birth or their parents, and the other a group of mercenaries brought in from countries like Brazil, Colombia, Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

Reuters / Eurosport