Demba Ba will be hoping to replicate his superb Newcastle form when he plays with Senegal at the African Cup of Nations. The in-form striker made a slow start to his Newcastle adventure after joining last summer following the relegation of West Ham, with whom he notched up seven goals in 12 appearances last season. However, once he scored his maiden Newcastle goal in late September, Demba Ba proved a revelation with a series of superb displays that yielded 15 goals in 19 games. He is now the second highest scorer in the Premier League, three goals behind Arsenal striker Robin van Persie. Reports linked him with a move away from Newcastle, with the likes of Liverpool, Sunderland and Everton mooted as possible suitors. The former Hoffenheim man has everything to prove at the international level, however, after failing to shine with Senegal during CAN qualifiers. He was unable to play on a regular basis, scoring just once throughout the qualifying campaign “Senegal have never been very far away in major competitions,” said the 26-year-old, who scored the winning goal as Senegal claimed a narrow victory over Sudan in a CAN warm up. “We have the quality that makes us one of the favourites in this competition. However, we must learn from our past mistakes and ensure we do not repeat these mistakes.” Senegal also boast two other in-form strikers - Lille's Moussa Sow and Newcastle's new signing Papiss Demba Cisse.
