AFCON 2015 Final: Date, Time, Live Stream for Ivory Coast vs. Ghana

It’s not been plain sailing by any means, but after a tumultuous few weeks we have a dream final to look forward to in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations. Ghana and Ivory Coast are arguably the two finest sides on the continent, and they will battle it out for the right to be named champions of Africa.

Neither side have fulfilled their potential in this competition in recent history, with both teams faltering in the final stages of the tournament. But one of them will conquer their longstanding demons this weekend when they take to the field at the Estadio de Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

As noted by John Bennett of the BBC, both sides will feel as though they're due one:

Here’s a closer look at the fortunes of both sides coming into this tournament, which team is the most likely to be triumphant come Sunday and all the information you need on where to catch what should be a gripping contest live.

Date: Sunday, Jan. 8

Time: 7 p.m. (GMT)

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), beIN Sports Connect (US)

TV Info: ITV 4 (UK), beIN Sports (US)

Elephants and Black Stars Searching for Overdue Title

Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

Ghana have won this competition four times in their history, but not since 1982. Since then, they’ve lost in the final of the tournament on two separate occasions, and the last time they were in it they lost on penalties to the Elephants in 1992.

This is a team who have really looked the business in the knockout stages, though. Avram Grant’s side beat host nation Equatorial Guinea in the semi-final and although that match was marred by crowd trouble, the Black Stars were professional throughout in their duties and eventually secured an emphatic 3-0 victory.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Christian Atsu picked up another man-of-the-match award in that encounter, and sportswriter Velile Mbuli thinks that he has a chance of being named player of the tournament:

They’ll be hoping to capitalise on an Ivory Coast team who will harbour their own apprehensions coming into this one. The win over Ghana in 1992 represents the only time in the nation’s history that they’ve won this competition, and there will be plenty in this squad that will recall the heartbreaking final defeats in 2006 and 2012.

Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

As noted here by OptaJoe, the Elephants won’t be hoping for a penalty shootout:

Herve Renard will be desperate for his star players to turn this game in their favour. Skipper Yaya Toure hasn’t been at his very best in the competition so far, but he turned up when it mattered in his team’s semi-final win over DR Congo, per City Watch:

Toure’s new Manchester City teammate Wilfried Bony has also upped his game a level in the knockout stage. With no Didier Drogba in situ, the onus was always going to be on the former Swansea City man to lead the line with a comparable physicality; up to now he’s been exceptional at the point of the attack for the Elephants.

Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

Indeed, while he netted a crucial brace in the quarter-final win over pre-tournament favourites Algeria, Bony has also been a creative influence for his team, as noted by WhoScored.com:

The firepower at Renard's disposal will see Ivory Coast edge this one. Players like Toure, Bony and Gervinho know what it takes to play at the very highest level, and in what will most probably be a nervy game from the off, some isolated incidents of mercurial genius should tip this one in the Elephants’ favour.

Grant has done a remarkable job with this Ghana team after taking the job at such short notice, but this will be one step too far for them. They’ve yet to be appropriately tested in the knockout stages by either Guinea or Equatorial Guinea, and the sudden injection of quality in terms of opposition will prove to be too much for the Black Stars to handle.

Prediction: Ivory Coast 2-1 Ghana