Wilfried Bony
Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony's form could be crucial in the finals.Reuters

En route to the African Cup of Nations finals, Ghana and Ivory Coast with their prolific performances against their respective opponents, have deservedly earned the right to clash with each other in the summit clash.

Ghana defeated Guinea and Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, while Ivory Coast overcame Algeria and D.R. Congo in the last-eight and last-four stage of the competition.

While Ivory Coast has been unbeaten in the competition so far, Ghana has lost one game in the round-robin stage.

The last time that the two sides locked horns in the African Cup of Nations finals in 1992, it was Ivory Coast who came up trumps via penalties (11-10).

The stakes are high this time around since the teams will be clashing once again in the final of the mega event after a gap of 23 years.

Some of the current players were not even born when the 1992 game took place.

Ivory Coast striker Gervinho was five years old then.

"It has been a long time since we have had a final between Ghana and Ivory Coast and we want to write our history too. This is our chance and we hope to take it," the striker was quoted as saying by BBC.

"We are very motivated. From the beginning of this competition, we said we have six games to play - we have played five and there is one remaining," he added.

Ivory Coast would depend on their star players Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony to help them lift the prestigious title.

Team coach Herve Renard is confident of Toure performing well.

"I'm sure Yaya will play a decisive game. He will arrive in time. You saw he scored a fantastic goal in the semi-final and that was not by chance,'' said Renard.

"When you are fantastic player, these key important games are for you. I'm sure Yaya will play a very good final," he added.

Ivory Coast however cannot take Ghana for granted as they have been one of the strongest teams in Africa winning the competition four times.

The Black Stars have received a shot in the arm with the expected return of captain Asamoah Gyan, who could prove to the difference between the two sides in the final. Add to it the prolific form of Andre Ayew with three goals in the competition, Ivory Coast defenders would be well-advised to be on high alert during the game.

Ghana coach Avram Grant is confident that the team would perform well in the final.

"I think this group of players has shown a lot of motivation and they'll show it in the final," he said.

"Every game we have played better and better, so I hope we continue like this. I know we're playing against a very good team with very good players but we've also seen that we can do our job."

Where to Watch Live

The final is set to begin at 7 pm GMT (12:30 am IST, 2:00 pm ET) with live coverage in India on Sony Six and Sony Six HD. The match can also be watched via live streaming on Sony Six Online or Livsports.

Viewers in the UK can watch the 2015 African Nations final live on ITV 4 and British EuroSport 1 or via live streaming on ITV Player or Eurosport Player.

The match will be broadcast in the US and Canada on Bein Sports USA and Bein Sports Canada respectively, with an option to stream on Bein Sports Connect.

Audience in Ghana and Ivory Coast can watch the match via live streaming on Super Sport.