Emmanuel Eboue has been named among the 28 players in the preliminary squad announced by Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi in Abidjan. The Galatasaray defender’s inclusion comes as a surprise, especially considering he has had a full season.
However, some notable absentees from the squad include left-back Siaka Tiéné. Despite this, key players such as Didier Drogba, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, Yaya Touré, and Kolo Touré, who has seen limited playing time at Liverpool, have all made the list.
Ivory Coast will kick off their preparations on May 24 in the United States, where they will play two friendly matches against Bosnia on May 30 and El Salvador on June 4.
In Brazil, the Elephants are placed in Group C alongside Colombia, Greece, and Japan.
Here’s the breakdown of the squad:
Goalkeepers (4):
- Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL)
- Sayouba Mandé (Stabaek/NOR)
- Sylvain Gbohouo (Séwé San Pedro/CIV)
- Ali Badra Sangaré (ASEC Mimosas/CIV)
Defenders (10):
- Kolo Touré (Liverpool/ENG)
- Arthur Boka (Stuttgart/GER)
- Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro (Toulouse/FRA)
- Serge Aurier (Toulouse/FRA)
- Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor/TUR)
- Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor/TUR)
- Constant Djakpa (Frankfurt/GER)
- Brice Dja Djédjé (Marseille/FRA)
- Benjamin Angoua Brou (Valenciennes/FRA)
- Bamba Souleymane (Trabzonspor/TUR)
Midfielders (6):
- Ismaël Diomandé (AS Saint-Etienne/FRA)
- Max Gradel (AS Saint-Etienne/FRA)
- Yaya Touré (Manchester City/ENG)
- Ismaël Cheick Tioté (Newcastle/ENG)
- Geoffroy Serey Dié (FC Basel/SUI)
- Didier Ya Konan (Hanover 96/GER)
Forwards (8):
- Didier Drogba (Galatasaray/TUR)
- Gervinho (AS Roma/ITA)
- Salomon Kalou (Lille/FRA)
- Wilfried Bony (Swansea/ENG)
- Giovanni Sio (FC Basel/SUI)
- Mathis Bolly (Düsseldorf /GER)
- Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow/RUS)
- Lacina Traoré (Everton/ENG)
Tags: Ivory Coast, Sabri Lamouchi, World Cup 2014, preliminary squad, Group C, Colombia, Greece, Japan
