Cote d'Ivoire head coach Jean-Louis Gasset attempted to reduce the pressure on his home squad on Friday by highlighting the defending champions Senegal and World Cup semi-finalists Morocco as likelier candidates to lift the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 70-year-old, who is leading his first team on the continent in a 37-year coaching career, conceded his men were feeling the strain of hosting the biennial event.