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The delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is set to kick off on the 9th of January and continue until the 6th of February 2022 in its traditional period. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reverted to the original date of the competition to after complaints about its scheduling. The tournament is set to be held in Cameroon.
AFCON will take place alongside the regular European football season
Clubs in Europe will be hard hit by their players having to leave in the middle of the season to represent their countries, but can do nothing about it. In Serie A, like other leagues, many of the sides will be affected as their players will be required to participate in the competition.
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Without further ado, here is a list of five Serie A clubs that will be affected by losing their players to AFCON.
#5 Bologna
Bologna are doing well in Serie A this season and are in tenth place halfway through the season. The Italian club are well on track to perform better than they did last season in Serie A, having already amassed eight wins so far. They won only ten matches in Serie A last season where they finished in 12th place.
Bologna will be without Gambian forward Musa Barrow and Senegalese defender Ibrahima Mbaye after both players were called up for AFCON by their respective countries. Mbaye has featured only four times this season for Bologna, with his last appearance coming in November against Spezia.
Barrow, on the other hand, has been a key element for Sinisa Mihajlovic's men. The 23-year-old forward has made 20 appearances for Bologna this season, scoring five goals and creating four assists.
The duo will be missed by Bologna for the duration of AFCON as their side take on Cagliari, Napoli, Verona and Empoli in Serie A.
#4 Sassuolo
Sassuolo is another side that will have to do without two of its stars for the duration of AFCON after they were called up for the tournament. The Ivorian duo of Jeremie Boga and Hamed Traore were included in the squad for their national side.
Hamed Traore has appeared 17 times for Sassuolo in Serie A, scoring once and assisting twice. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been a regular for Alessio Dionisi's side this season.
Boga, 24, has appeared 12 times for Neroverdi in Serie A this season, contributing three assists for them. Shortly after the announcement of the Ivory Coast squad to participate in the AFCON tournament, Boga completed a permanent move to Serie A side Atalanta.
Sassuolo have matches against Empoli, Verona, Cagliari, Torino and Sampdoria lined up for the duration of AFCON.
#3 AS Roma
Ghana, Guinea and The Gambia have turned to AS Roma for their AFCON squads in this year's edition of the competition. AS Roma will be without the trio of Felix Afena-Gyan, Amadou Diawara and Ebrima Darboe after they were called up for AFCON by their respective countries.
Jose Mourinho's men are in sixth place in Serie A, just six points outside the Champions League places. Teenage striker Afena-Gyan has scored two goals in five appearances for Roma, defensive midfielder Diawara has made eight appearances and Darboe has made five appearances in all competitions.
There are reports that Afena-Gyan is set to remain in Rome rather than join up with the rest of the Ghana squad for the tournament.
AS Roma will face Juventus, Cagliari, Lecce, Empoli and Genoa in a tricky run of fixtures in Serie A and the Coppa Italia for the duration of AFCON.
#2 AC Milan
Serie A title contenders AC Milan will have to do without three of their key players for the duration of AFCON. The trio of Franck Kessie, Ismael Bennacer and Fode Ballo-Toure have been called up by their national teams for the AFCON tournament.
Kessie has made 21 appearances for the Rossoneri this season, scoring five goals and providing one assist in all competitions. He will join up with the Ivory Coast squad for the tournament.
Meanwhile, Bennacer will join up with Algeria for the tournament. The defensive midfielder has made 24 appearances, contributing one goal and one assist. Ballo-Toure has been called up by Senegal. The left-back has made 11 appearances for AC Milan this season.
Currently trailing neighbors Inter Milan by four points, AC Milan have a huge month ahead of them with matches against Genoa, Venezia, Spezia, Juventus and Inter Milan.
#1 Napoli
Napoli will be the most affected side in Italy by AFCON. They will lose up to four regulars during the course of the tournament, including their top scorer Victor Osimhen. The Partenopei will be without Kalidou Koulibaly, Andre Frank Zambo-Anguissa and Adam Ounas, as well.
After an impressive start to the season, injuries have derailed Napoli's title charge and they are in third place in Serie A, seven points off the pace. Osimhen has made 14 appearances this season, with nine goals and two assists to show for his efforts. Koulibaly and Zambo-Anguissa have made 19 appearances each, while Ounas has marked his 14 appearances with two goals.
Napoli will face Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Bologna, Salernitana and Venezia during the course of AFCON, with their title ambitions set to be strongly tested.
