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Ghana captain John Mensah insists his side is braced for a tough task of winning the Africa Cup of Nations despite the absence of big names. The Black Stars alongside the Elephants of Ivory Coast have been tipped as overwhelming favourites to land the title in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year. However Mensah, maintains the lack of �competition� with the absence of traditional heavyweights; Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria is no guarantee of winning the ultimate, thereby eschewing any sense of complacency. �The fact that the big countries wouldn�t be available in the Gabon/Equatorial championship does not make us the automatic winner,� the Lyon defender said. �We should bear in mind that the teams that qualified did that on merit and at the expense of those we refer to as powerhouses. �Many have tipped us as favorites, but we wouldn�t be complacent, we will accord every game the needed attention and seriousness, we want to win because we have come close. �It�s been ages since we last won a silverware, and my mates and I believe it is high time we won the competition and not because country �A� or �B� will not be present. �We have limited time for the showpiece, but we are mentally focused. I keep constant touch with the players and they are all craving to end the trophy drought.� Ghana is drawn in Group D which will play all of its group games in the Gabonese city of Franceville alongside Botswana, Mali and Guinea. The Black Stars will be chasing a fifth title in the biennial showpiece to end a staggering 30-year wait by the time the competition commences on January 21.