AFCON, Group B: Senegal faces off against Algeria, Tunisia

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off in Gabon, where 16 national teams will compete for African football's most prestigious honour. theScore is your source for news, previews, and everything else related to the tournament.

Three of Africa's strongest national teams will be fighting over two spots in Gabon.

When the draw for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations took place, all eyes were immediately focused on Group B, as it contained Senegal and Algeria, both of whom are among the favourites to conquer the continent. But, with Tunisia in the mix, progression to the quarter-finals isn't so simple for Les Lions de la Teranga or the Desert Foxes. Oh, and let's not forget about Zimbabwe, which reached the tournament after being expelled from 2018 World Cup qualifying because of the non-payment of an outstanding debt to a coach.

Senegal

Profile: Senegal is entering the Africa Cup of Nations as the only team to win all six of its qualifiers for the tournament, but Les Lions de la Teranga continue to draw the short straw. They narrowly missed out on the 2014 World Cup after being drawn alongside Cote d'Ivoire for a play-off, and they failed to progress past the group stage of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after being drawn in a group with Ghana, Algeria, and South Africa. Supporters must feel like they can't catch a break.

But few teams in Africa are as blessed with talent, and, despite another tough draw, Senegal can have no excuses for another premature exit. At the front of the pack is Sadio Mane, and he'll have the support of other Premier League footballers in Idrissa Gana Gueye, Mame Diouf, and Cheikhou Kouyate, while Serie A's Keita Balde Diao mauls attackers at the other end of the pitch.

Key Player: Mane isn't just the most important player in Senegal's squad; the 24-year-old forward is among the most talented footballers at the Africa Cup of Nations. The pint-sized striker is arriving in Gabon in the midst of a Premier League season in which he boasts nine goals and four assists.

There will likely be a clear correlation between how many goals Mane scores at the Africa Cup of Nations and how far Senegal goes in the tournament.

Trivia: Four million people in Senegal - 30 per cent of the country's population - are herders.

Algeria

Profile: Spare a thought for the defenders who will have to mark the likes of Yacine Brahimi, Riyad Mahrez, and Islam Slimani. Algeria is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with one of the best generations in the Desert Foxes' rich history and with a terrifying quantity of firepower, evidenced by the four goals per game they averaged in qualifying. On paper, there aren't many squads that conjure up so much fear.

Algeria's lone conquest of Africa came in 1990, before a number of those who will be traveling to Gabon had even been born. But there's reason to believe the Desert Foxes can add a second star to their green shirt so long as they continue to fire on all cylinders.

Key Player: Mahrez, the African Player of the Year for 2016, knows what it's like to taste glory in the Premier League. In order to feel that grandeur once again, the midfield mastermind will need to do Algeria's dirty work at the Africa Cup of Nations, using his creativity to put the ball on a silver platter for Brahimi and Slimani.

Trivia: Amazigh, spoken by Algeria's indigenous Berber minority, was granted national-language status in 2002.

Tunisia

Profile: The last few years have been difficult for Tunisia, both on and off the pitch. After missing out on the 2014 World Cup, Les Aigles de Carthage then crashed out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations to Equatorial Guinea, one of the tournament's co-hosts, due to a stoppage-time penalty kick and an extra-time winner. There was also the incident involving George Leekens, who left his role as the national team's manager over unpaid bonuses.

But Tunisia appears to have gotten its act together. Les Aigles de Carthage punched their ticket to Gabon with an impressive qualifying campaign and are also looking sharp in 2018 World Cup qualifying, as they remain undefeated through four fixtures.

Key Player: Wahbi Khazri is Tunisia's lone representative from the Premier League. The 25-year-old winger is both a wonderful playmaker and a set-piece wizard, and his attacking instincts will need to be on point in Gabon.

Trivia: About 12,000 families in Tunisia work in the orange industry.

Zimbabwe

Profile: It's something of a miracle Zimbabwe qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations. The Warriors boasted a golden generation in the 1990s, spearheaded by Peter Ndlovu and Bruce Grobbelaar, and stood on the verge of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup despite falling just short. Since the turn of the millennium, however, it's been all downhill for the national team.

In 2012, 80 Zimbabwean footballers were suspended as part of a match-fixing probe known as "Asiagate." More recently, the Warriors were kicked out of 2018 World Cup qualifying because of the non-payment of an outstanding debt to Jose Claudinei Georgini.

It's time for Zimbabwe to start writing some positive headlines.

Key Player: Knowledge Musona will need to outsmart defenders if Zimbabwe is to have any shot of advancing past the group stage. The attacking midfielder is one of five players in the Warriors' squad who is employed by a European club, but he's the team's most important player simply because of his ability to create goals.

Trivia: Robert Mugabe, 92, has been Zimbabwe's president since the African nation achieved independence from a white minority rule in 1980.