RABAT, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Veteran striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will miss Gabon's opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations next week but is expected to recover from a thigh injury for their next two Group F games at the tournament in Morocco.

The 36-year-old Aubameyang, long his country’s talisman, was forced off with an injury as Olympique de Marseille beat AS Monaco in Ligue 1 on Sunday, and the Gabonese Football Federation said he was staying in France for treatment before joining up with the squad.