The AFCON Round of 16 gets under way on Saturday when Senegal take on Sudan and Mali clash with Tunisia
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Senegal v Sudan
Senegal topped Group D with 7 points, finishing above runners up DR Congo on goal difference. Benin were third with 3 points and also made the cut and Botswana failed to earn a point and have returned home.
Senegal began with a 3-0 win over Botswana with Nicolas Jackson bagging a brace of goals in a comfortable start to the tournament. Next time out the drew 1-1 with DR Congo with Sadio Mane scoring the equalizer and in their final group match they saw off Benin 3-0 although they did have Kalidou Koulibaly red carded when they were 2-0 to the good.
Sudan grabbed one of the best third place finisher places to make it through. Algeria topped Group E with maximum 9 points, Burkina Faso came in second with 6, Sudan third with 3 and Equatorial Guinea lost all 3 of their matches and have been eliminated.
Sudan were well beaten (3-0) by Algeria in their opening match before a second half own goal gave them a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea. That victory and the 3 points meant Sudan were already assured of at least a best third finisher place heading into the final group match against Burkina Faso which they lost 2-0 and Al Gozoli missed a penalty.
The Verdict
These teams have already met twice this year in World Cup qualifying, Senegal won the home game 2-0 in September whilst in March the teams played out a goalless draw. Senegal topped that qualification group unbeaten with 7 wins and 3 draws, Sudan were third with 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats and that suggests Senegal deserve to be short priced favourites here.
I’ll take my chances with Senegal 2-0 in the correct score market
Bet: Correct Score Senegal to win 2-0 at 36/10 with Sportingbet
Mali v Tunisia
Mali were runners up to Morocco in Group A, the host nation finished 4 clear of Mali with 7 points, Comoros and Zambia both finished with 2 points but failed to make the knockout rounds.
Mali finished all square in all 3 of their group matches, starting with a 1-1 draw against Zambia where Lassine Sinayoko gave them the lead but they conceded in injury time. Second time out they put in a terrific shift to draw 1-1 with hosts Morocco with Sinayoko finding a second half equalizer from the penalty spot. Their final group match delivered a dour 0-0 draw with Comoros, Amadou Haidara picked up a late red card but Mali did enough to get the point they needed to advance.
Tunisia came through as runners up in Group C. Nigeria topped that quartet with the maximum 9 points, Tunisia finished with 4, Tanzania were third with 2 and also made the cut whilst Uganda’s solitary point saw them eliminated.
Tunisia were involved in some entertaining games and 6 different players have scored their goals. They started with a 3-1 win over Uganda and in their second outing they went down 3-2 to Nigeria, staging a comeback from 3-0 down and threatening an equalizer at the death. In their final group match Tunisia led Tanzania at half time but were pegged back early in the second half and a 1-1 draw suited both parties from some way out.
The Verdict
Matches between these two sides are usually very tight and although Tunisia have been involved in some open games I think this one will also go beyond regulation time.
Bet: Match result draw at 19/10 with Sportingbet
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Happy new year to all, wishing you all the best for 2026