The group stage of the African Cup is about to end, and the Ivory Coast is obliged to win to try not to depend on qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams. However, Equatorial Guinea will be a complex opponent.
Egypt, which so far has only two points and needs the victory to secure its place, will be facing Cape Verde, leader of Group B.
Poor Gambia, which so far has not been able to score a goal, will be the judge of Cameroon. Meanwhile, Senegal, one of the favorites, will face the difficult Guinea.
African Cup 2023 Matchday 3: Equatorial Guinea vs. Ivory Coast
When and where?
Monday, January 22nd, noon ET at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium
Moneyline odds:
Equatorial Guinea 10.5
Ivory Coast 1.42
Draw Offs:
4.05
Where Can I Watch?
Equatorial Guinea has not lost a soccer match since September 4th, 2022. They are undefeated in 12 games and, unsurprisingly, lead the group with four points. Against Guinea-Bissau, they won 4-2, with a hat-trick from Emilio Nsue, while in their first game, they tied 1-1 with Nigeria. Another draw would allow them to go through without depending on anyone.
Ivory Coast has not been at its best. They easily beat Cinderella Guinea-Bissau 2-0 but then lost 1-0 to Nigeria, who had William Troost-Ekong on the scoresheet. The loss snapped a streak of four wins in a row and seven matches without defeat, although they have not shown a good level.
Equatorial Guinea vs. Ivory Coast Betting Pick: Draw
African Cup 2023 Matchday 3: Cape Verde vs. Egypt
When and where?
Monday, January 22nd, 3:00 pm ET at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny
Moneyline odds:
Cape Verde 7.4
Egypt 1.53
Draw Offs:
3.80
Where Can I Watch?
The fact that Cape Verde has six points out of six, with five goals scored and only one conceded is a surprise. They beat one of the favorites, Ghana, 2-1, and Mozambique 3-0, so they already have their place in the next stage and the leadership. The star is Bebé, a former Manchester United player, who is very dangerous with free kicks.
Egypt received the worst possible news: Mohamed Salah has a strain and will miss two matches, starting with this one. The Liverpool striker scored and assisted in the first game, but he will not help his country in the toughest match. The Egyptians are seven games unbeaten but have conceded two goals in each cup game. It has been two draws for them, but their opponents are likely to rest some of their key players.
Cape Verde vs. Egypt Betting Pick: Egypt
African Cup 2023 Matchday 3: Gambia vs. Cameroon
When and where?
Tuesday, January 23rd, noon ET at the Stade de la Paix
Moneyline odds:
Gambia 6.21
Cameroon 1.64
Draw Offs:
3.56
Where Can I Watch?
There is no doubt that Gambia is the weakest team in the zone, as they have no big names or results, as evidenced by their four defeats in a row. In the cup, they have conceded four goals and so far have not scored, losing to Senegal (3-0) and Guinea (1-0). Despite the poor results, a win could put them among the candidates to advance as best third place.
Cameroon has an interesting team but has not proven itself in the tournament. The last match ended in a 3-1 loss to Senegal, which appears to be a couple of notches above them. The Cameroonians, who have only one point after their draw with Guinea, have won all three games they have played against Gambia.
Gambia vs. Cameroon Betting Pick: Cameroon
African Cup 2023 Matchday 3: Guinea vs. Senegal
When and where?
Tuesday, January 23rd, noon ET at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium
Moneyline odds:
Guinea 3.72
Senegal 2.15
Draw Offs:
3.14
Where Can I Watch?
Guinea has shown it can fight in this tournament, taking a point from Cameroon and beating Gambia 1-0. With one unit in the next game, they are assured of second place and, therefore, qualification. Naby Keita will, probably, start to get more minutes to give more quality to the starting lineup, as well as the debut of Serhou Guirassy, the top scorer of Stuttgart and second in the Bundesliga.
Senegal is the great candidate to be champion of the African Cup, and so far has scored six goals, with only one conceded. Although they have players like Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson, and Ismaila Sarr, their top scorer is Lamine Camara, with two goals. There is no doubt that the individual level of the Senegalese players is good, but it must also be taken into account that they are the current champions of the competition and will want to defend their crown.
Guinea vs. Senegal Betting Pick: Senegal
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