Mali puts all hope on Seydou Keita to lead them to the AFCON like he did last year.
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The former Barcelona midfielder led The Eagles to a third-place finish in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea last year.
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It has been their best performance so far since they came 4th back then in 2004.
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Mali national team are in Group B with four-time winners Ghana, the Democractic Republic of Congo and Niger, and would be expected to battle the Congolese to clinch a place in the knock-out stage with strong title contenders Ghana.
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Their new coach, Patrice Carteron, who stepped in after compatroit Alain Giresse could not reach an agreement on a brand new contract, has cancelled out midfielder Mohamed Laime Sissoko, who missed the 2012 tournament.