JOHANNESBURG - African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure says the time has come for 2012 African Cup of Nations soccer finals co-favourites Cote d'Ivoire to match talk with trophies.

After losing on penalties to hosts Egypt in the 2006 final, the Elephants were hot favourites in the next two championships only to "choke" in the knockout stages.

An overconfident team crumbled 4-1 to Egypt in the 2008 semi-finals and the Ivorians conceded a last-minute equaliser against Algeria in the quarter-finals two years later before losing after extra time.

A couple of years later and Cote d'Ivoire once again find themselves hoisted to the top of the favourites' chart beside Ghana and Manchester City star Toure believes this time there will be no slip up.

"This is the third time that people say we are favourites so I think 2012 will be the year of Cote d' Ivoire," said the man who beat fellow midfielders Seydou Keita of Mali and Andre Ayew of Ghana for the CAF individual award.

"‘We have such a fantastic squad and I think we have a chance of going far," said Toure, who missed the FA Cup loss to city rivals United last weekend because it came a day after the Ivorians assembled in Paris.

"After the losses we have had at the Cup of Nations, I believe the squad now has the experience and right mentality," he added at the launch of the kit the team will wear in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea this month.

It can only help 1992 champions Cote d' Ivoire that they will play all their Group B games at the 15 000-seat Neuvo Estadio Malabo in the Equatoguinean capital against Sudan (January 22), Burkina Faso (26) and Angola (30). Maximum points is a realistic goal although the Ivorians will tread warily against neighbours Burkina Faso as they were held 0-0 by them in Angola two years ago.

"They have a fantastic team," Toure said of a nation who were confirmed as participants only this week when a Namibian legal bid to have them kicked out failed.

Factfile

Qualifying results: Benin 2-1 6-2, Burundi 2-1 1-0, Rwanda 3-0 5-0

Scorers: 4 - Didier Drogba, 3 - Wilfried Bony, Gervinho, 2 - Salomon Kalou, Didier Ya Konan, Yaya Toure, 1 - Emmanuel Eboue, Koffi "Romaric" N'dri, Kolo Toure

Captain: Didier Drogba, Coach: Francois Zahoui

Rankings: Caf 1, Fifa 16, Nickname: Elephants

Previous appearances: 1965 - third, 1968 - third, 1970 - fourth, 1974 - first round, 1980 - first round, 1984 - first round, 1986 - third, 1988 - first round, 1990 - first round, 1992 - champions, 1994 - third, 1996 - first round, 1998 - quarter-finals, 2000 - first round, 2002 - first round, 2006 - runners-up, 2008 - fourth, 2010- quarter-finals

Record: P71 W29 D17 L25 F103 A85

Record win: Ethiopia 6-1, losses: Egypt 1-4, Ghana 1-4.