Ivory Coast vs Guinea Bissau prediction: AFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations betting tips on match 2024-01-12 20:00.
The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off with one of the pre-tournament favourites and host nation Ivory Coast taking on big underdogs Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan. The Elephants face all the pressure in this curtain-raising clash and first-ever H2H between the sides, as a host nation hasn’t lost their AFCON opener since Burkina Faso way back in February 1998!
Jean-Louis Gasset’s side head into the tournament in fine form having lost just one of their last ten matches (W6, D3), but his players have some demons to banish, as they’ve failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage since last lifting the trophy in 2015. That said, as the host nation hasn’t reached the AFCON final in any of the last eight iterations, and has not won the tournament since 2006, the omens are certainly against an Ivory Coast squad that boasts some serious quality.
With Group A also containing strong contenders in the form of Nigeria, very little is expected of opponents Guinea-Bissau, who are participating in their fourth consecutive AFCON finals. The Djurtus will be desperate for a change in fortune at this tournament, as they’ve so far failed to win a single game in the tournament proper (D3, L6), failing to score in each of their last six such matches (D2, L4).
While a first-ever progression to the knockout stages looks beyond their reach ahead of kick-off, Baciro Candé’s side will be keen to at least make an impression and continue a decent record of avoiding defeat in two of their three tournament openers (D2, L1). The early signs are worrying though, as Guinea-Bissau were routed 6-2 by Mali in a friendly last week, conceding three times without reply after half-time!
Players to watch: Ivory Coast’s Sébastien Haller may have struggled for goals for Borussia Dortmund this season, but he’s directly contributed to four in his last five appearances for the Elephants (G3, A1). Guinea-Bissau’s Mama Baldé is similarly short of goals on the domestic front, but he’s scored twice in his last three international appearances.
Hot stat: Each of the last seven AFCON tournaments have had different winners.