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Elephants stars set for SA

Johannesburg - Didier Drogba, the Toure brothers, and Salomon Kalou have been named in Ivory Coast's squad for next month's Nelson Mandela Challenge clash with South Africa.

The Elephants, ranked number one in Africa, will tackle Bafana Bafana at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 12 November.

In last year's friendly duel, Bafana lost 1-0 to USA at Cape Town Stadium.

Dr Robin Petersen, the CEO of SAFA, expects a tough encounter.

He said: "We are really delighted to have managed to secure an opponent of the calibre of the Ivory Coast. They are number one on the continent, which is a clear indication that it will not be an easy day in the office.

"We are also honoured to be playing this match near the home of Nelson Mandela. As an Association we believe this is a fitting tribute for all he has done for sport in general in this country."

Other big-name players in the visiting 21-man squad include Gervinho of Arsenal, Emmanuel Eboue of Galatasaray in Turkey and Siaka Tiene of Paris Saint Germaine in France.

Ivory Coast squad:

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren, Belgium), Daniel Yeboah (Asec Mimosas, Ivory Coast)

Defenders: Benjamin Angoua (Valenciennes, France), Igor Lolo (Kuban Krasnodar, Russia), Arthur Boka (VFB Stuttgart, Germany), Siaka Tiene (Paris Saint Germain, France), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasary, Turkey), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, England)

Midfielders: Cheik Tiote (Newcastle United, England), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne, France), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Yaya Toure (Manchester City, England), Jean-Jacques Gosso (Orduspor, Turkey), Coulibaly Kafoumba (Nice, France), Didier Ya Konan (Hanover 98, Germany)

Strikers: Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem, Holland), Gervinho (Arsenal, England), Abdul Kader Keita (Al-Sadd, Qatar), Salomon Kalou, Didier Drogba (both Chelsea, England) and Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow, Russia)

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