Saturday’s AFCON action comes from Groups C and D and we take a look at all four games including Benin v Botswana, Senegal v DR Congo, Uganda v Tanzania and Nigeria v Tunisia
A reminder there are 6 groups, each containing 4 teams. The top 2 in each group will go through to the knockout rounds along with the 4 best third place finishers.
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Group D Benin 8/11 Draw 5/2 Botswana 38/10
Benin are looking for their first point and first goal of the tournament after gong down 1-0 to DR Congo in their opening game. Some slack defending saw them fall behind on 16 minutes and that’s the way it stayed although Benin did see plenty of the ball and had their moments.
Botswana came up against powerhouse nation Senegal in their opener and they went down 3-0. They were largely on the back foot but it took 40 minutes for Senegal to break the deadlock, it was 2-0 just before the hour mark with the third goal coming on 90 minutes and Botswana rarely threatened.
The Verdict
I thought Benin showed enough in defeat to DRC to suggest they can be in the goals in what is a vital game to win and I’ll take them to score 2 or more.
Bet: Benin total goals, over 1.5 at 23/20 with SuperSportBet
Group D Senegal 8/11 Draw 24/10 DR Congo 4.25/1
Goals either side of half time from Nicolas Jackson and a third on 90 minutes from Cherif Ndiaye secured a more than comfortable 3-0 win for Senegal in their opening match. They dominated proceedings for the vast majority of the game registering 17 shots on target.
Theo Bongonda was the scorer early doors in DR Congo’s 1-0 win over Benin. They thought they had a second just after half time but VAR ruled it out for offside and a couple of other good chances were spurned. It was far from one way traffic though but DRC will be content with the winning start.
The Verdict
Although they won comfortably I’m not sure we learned a lot about Senegal in their opening match and this looks a much tougher test. Meanwhile DRC looked OK but not much more than that in their opener but it’s possible there is much more to come from both sides and I’ll take my chances with both teams finding the net.
Bet: Both teams to score? Yes at 5/4 with Pokerbet
Group C Uganda 1.45/1 Draw 21/10 Tanzania 1.95/1
Both these teams are playing catch up after losing their opening matches. Uganda went down 3-1 to Tunisia, a game they trailed 2-0 at half time and Tunisia added a third before Denis Omedi found a consolation in injury time.
Tanzania went down 2-1 to Nigeria but they made the Super Eagles work hard for victory. They were 1-0 down at half time but on 50 minutes Tanzania levelled through a fine strike from Charles M'Mombwa. Nigeria went back in front just 2 minutes later and that’s the way it stayed
The Verdict
I’m not sure about Uganda being favourites. Tunisia impressed in beating them but Uganda created next to nothing until injury time. Meanwhile Tanzania were very spirited against Nigeria and in terms of how the group stands I see scope for goals in both halves.
Bet: Goal to be scored in each half? (yes) at 21/20 with Sportingbet
Group C Nigeria 1.35/1 Draw 21/10 Tunisia 21/10
Goals from Ajayi on 36 minutes and Lookman on 52 gave Nigeria a 2-1 win over Tanzania. They also had an effort from Osimhen ruled out for offside but the win was all important after a failure in World Cup qualifying and this game will tell us more about their overall chances.
First half goals from Skhiri and Elias Achouri put Tunisia in control of their opening match against Uganda. Achouri added a third on 64 minutes to effectively seal the win and Uganda’s late strike was nothing more than a consolation as Tunisia ran out 3-1 winners.
The Verdict
I can see both coaches being happy enough with a draw which will be my play here.
Bet: Match result draw at 21/10 with Sportingbet
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change