Egypt take on Benin before Nigeria clash with Mozambique as the AFCON Round of 16 continues on Monday and we have a play in each game
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Egypt v Benin
Egypt topped Group B, unbeaten with 7 points to finish 1 clear of South Africa and Angola (2 points) and Zimbabwe (1 point) were eliminated.
Egypt began with a 2-1 win over Zimbabwe thanks to a late Mo Salah goal and in their second outing they edged out Bafana 1-0 thanks to a Salah penalty and they played the whole of the second half of that game with 10 men. That allowed them to make changes for their final group match, a 0-0 draw with Angola.
Benin (3 points) finished third in Group D behind Senegal and DR Congo (both 7 points) and Botswana lost all 3 of their games to finish bottom.
Benin lost their opening game 1-0 to DR Congo but they put themselves on the board with a 1-0 victory over Botswana thanks to a first half goal from Yohan Roche, their first ever win at an AFCON Finals. That proved to be enough to secure a last 16 spot prior to their final group match which saw them go down 3-0 to Senegal.
The Verdict
Benin’s only goal of the group stage saw them edge out a Botswana side who really struggled and although their defeats came to a couple of the stronger nations that evidence suggests they are up against it here.
I’ll go with Egypt to get the job done in regulation time though only by a single goal margin.
Bet: Egypt to win by 1 goal exactly at 24/10 with Betway
Nigeria v Mozambique
Nigeria topped Group C with 3 wins from 3 to finish 5 points clear of Tunisia. Tanzania (2 points) qualified as a best third place finisher and Uganda (1 point) have returned home.
The Super Eagles 100% record comprised of wins over Tanzania (2-1), Tunisia (3-2) and finally Uganda (3-1). Although they failed to keep a clean sheet they were the top scorers in the group stage
Mozambique finished third in Group F with 3 points, 4 shy of Ivory Coast and Cameroon whilst Gabon failed to earn a point.
A 3-2 win over Gabon in their second group match proved enough to get Mozambique through to the knockout rounds and they were not disgraced in losing to Ivory Coast (1-0) first up and Cameroon (2-1) in their final group match.
The Verdict
Whilst I don’t write Mozambique off in terms of being competitive the quality in the Super Eagles forward ranks is hard to ignore. Lookman has 2 goals to his name so far and sat out the final group match. I’ll wager he returns with another goal here.
Bet: Anytime goalscorer Ademola Lookman at 2.15/1 with Betway
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change