Arsenal boss Wenger worried about his African Nations Cup duo

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger fears the African Nations Cup will hurt his players.

Wenger admits the pressure of playing in the tournament could have a negative effect on Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh when they return to Arsenal.

“It is the equivalent of a player here going to the European Championship. They are under immense pressure,” he told arsenal.com.

“It is a different climate [over there]. Usually we have snow in February here, so they come from a big temperature difference. Most of the time, they are dead [afterwards].”

Wenger says he expects Ivory Coast to triumph in the tournament, which runs from January 21 until February 12.

“Ivory Coast are hot favourites; they have an incredible team. They have a midfield of [Cheik] Tiote, [Yaya] Toure, Gervinho,” he said.

“Nobody else has qualified. Cameroon is not there, Nigeria is not there - they are under massive pressure.”