Position: Goalkeeper
Born: 02.02.75
Club: Troyes

Challenging Kolo Toure and Cyril Domoraud for a place at the heart of the Ivory Coast defence, Blaise Kouassi is a reliable campaigner with no shortage of experience in European football.

Having started out at ASEC Abidjan in his homeland, he was snapped up by French side Guingamp at the age of 26 and was thrust into their ultimately unsuccessful fight against Ligue 1 survival.

Kouassi emerged from that season with his reputation in tact, though, and he was eventually able to secure a move to top-flight side Guingamp last summer.

Strong in the air if not the most polished of players on the ball, the 31-year-old has won just a handful of caps and will probably be relying on substitute appearances, or injuries to others, if he is to add to that tally in Germany.