Wolves and West Brom to lose African stars

Mali clinched their qualification with a 2-0 win against Group B winners Algeria last night.

It means Wolves could be without winger Bakary Sako and striker Nouha Dicko for the finals, which run from January 17 to February 8 in Equatorial Guinea.

Neither Sako or Dicko were involved in Mali's final qualifier which sealed their passage.

Sako was suspended and Dicko had already flown home after suffering a recurrence of tight hamstrings in training last week.

But Sako is normally a regular and Dicko has been in recent squads.

Albion look set to lose midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu, after Congo qualified.

Mulumbu captained his country to a 3-1 win against Sierra Leone last night, in the final game of their qualifying campaign.

And, despite not securing a top-two spot in their group, Congo sealed their place in the finals as one of the best third-placed sides.

The tournament has been moved from Morocco, who refused to stage it because of the Ebola outbreak.

All three players are likely to be required earlier for a pre-tournament training camp.

The absence of Sako and Dicko could hit Wolves hard during the winter.

Sako is Wolves' seven-goal top scorer while Dicko has chipped in with four.

Assuming they travel after FA Cup third-round day, both could miss up to five league games – Blackburn and Bolton away and Blackpool, Charlton and Reading at home.

Fans' favourite Mulumbu has been out of boss Alan Irvine's starting line-up at the Hawthorns this season but his absence would still rob the Hawthorns head coach of valuable cover.

Mulumbu faces missing up to four Premier League games – Hull, Everton, Tottenham and Burnley.