Nouzaret is backing his Guinea squad to do well in Ghana Sambegou Bangoura and Ibrahima Yattara have been left out of Guinea's 23-man squad for this month's Nations Cup. Foach Robert Nouzaret on Thursday named his final list of players going to Ghana for the tournament which kicks off on 20 January.

Sambegou, who plays in Portugal for Boavista, and Turkey-based Yattara are surprise omissions.

Their exclusion follows Nouzaret's decision last month to leave former Arsenal striker Kaba Diawara.

"I had a [provisional] list of 35 players and I was obliged to cut my choice down to only 23," the French coach said.

"Those that I kept have given me more satisfaction than the players I have had to drop."

"I know that we will be up against teams that are stronger than us on paper but we are not going to the Nations Cup to make up the numbers," he added.

Only one of the squad members, back-up goalkeeper Naby Diarso, comes from a club within the west African country.

Veteran goalkeeper Kemoko Camara is unattached and 19 players are from European clubs.

Guinea meet hosts Ghana in the tournament's opening match in Accra on 20 January.

Their other first round opponents are Morocco and Namibia.

Guinea reached the quarter-finals of the last Nations Cup tournament in Egypt two years ago.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Kemoko Camara (unattached), Naby Diarso (Satellite FC), Naby Yattara (RACS Couillet, Belgium)

Defenders: Dianbobo Balde (Celtic), Habib Jean Balde (Reims), Alseny Camara (Rodez), Ibrahima Camara (Le Mans), Kevin Constant (Toulouse), Mohamed Alimou Diallo (Sivasspor), Daouda Jabi (Trabzonspor), Oumar Kalabane (Manisaspor), Kamil Zayatte (Young Boys Berne)

Midfielders: Mohamed Cisse (Bursaspor), Pascal Feindouno (St Etienne), Samuel Johnson (Ismaili), Mohamed Sacko (Etoile Sahel), Naby Soumah (CS Sfaxien), Kanfory Sylla (Sivasspor)

Strikers: Ismael Bangoura (Dynamo Kiev), Karamoko Cisse (Verona), Victor Correa (Cherbourg), Fode Mansare (Toulouse), Souleymane Youla (Lille).