Nations Cup 2013: Tunisia name 25-man squad

Uncapped France-born midfielder Wahbi Khazri has been included in Tunisia's initial 25-man squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations.

The 21-year-old switched international allegiance, after playing for France Under-21s, in time to be included for the tournament in South Africa.

Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi will have to cut two players from his selection by the 9 January deadline.

The tournament starts on 19 January and goes through to 10 February.

Trabelsi has retained 14 players from the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the last edition of competition in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Striker Issam Jemaa plays in a fifth successive Nations Cup finals.

The major absence is French league-winning midfielder Jamel Saihi of Montpellier, who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Tunisia kick off their campaign against Algeria on 22 January they will also face Ivory Coast and Togo in Group D

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Moez Ben Cherifia (Esperance), Farouk Ben Mustapha (CA Bizertin), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile Sahel)

Defenders: Aymen Abdennour (Toulouse, France), Rami Bedoui (Etoile Sahel), Anis Boussaidi (Tavria Simferopol, Ukraine), Khalil Chammam (Esperance), Chamseddine Dhaouadi (Etoile Sahel), Fatah Garbi (CS Sfaxien), Walid Hichri (Esperance), Bilel Ifa (Club Africain)

Midfielders: Hatten Baratli (Club Africain), Wissem Ben Yahia (Mersin Idmanyurdu, Turkey), Oussama Darragi (FC Sion, Switzerland), Chadi Hammami (Kuwait SC, Kuwait), Wahbi Kharzia (Bastia, France), Khaled Mouelhi, Youssef Msakni (both Esperance), Abdelkader Oueslati (Atletico Madrid, Spain), Mejdi Traoui (Esperance)

Forwards: Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (CS Sfaxien), Zouhair Dhaouadi (Evian Thonon Gaillard, France), Hamdi Harbaoui (Lokeren, Belgium), Saber Khlifa (Evian Thonon Gaillard, France), Issam Jemaa (Kuwait SC, Kuwait).