Senegal vs Gambia prediction: AFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations betting tips on match 2024-01-14 14:00.
Reigning Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions Senegal begin their defence of their crown here in Yamoussoukro, although their fans may hope for a quicker start than when they progressed from the group stage in 2021, when they scored just one goal (W1, D2). They did warm to their task last time around, and theyâll hope to take the kind of form that saw them win their first three knockout games by two-goal margins into the start of this edition.
Only three nations in AFCON history have ever successfully defended their title in the following edition and Senegal will hope to make themselves number four. Hopes are high of doing exactly that after Aliou CissĂ©âs men have gone unbeaten in all but one game since the beginning of 2023 (W6, D3, L1), discounting the African Nations Championship games which only feature players plying their trade on home soil and werenât overseen by CissĂ©.
Whilst Senegal are brimming with hope, Gambia enter this clash at a real disadvantage after their Ivory Coast-bound plane was forced to turn around mid-flight due to a near-fatal lack of oxygen. Gambian boss Tom Saintfiet solemnly stated that âthe group is very mentally affected,â and that âmany of my players are not ready to train, let alone play a match,â in what is a damning assessment of their chances here.
That logistical chaos has only added to the mammoth task ahead for FIFAâs lowest-ranked AFCON competitor (#126), yet they did shock the competition by reaching the quarter-final stage in 2021. Conceding only once and remaining unbeaten in the group stages (W2, D1), the Gambians could do with rediscovering that sort of form after conceding exactly twice in each of their last four matches, only one of which they won.
Players to watch: Senegal will be led by the iconic Sadio ManĂ©, who could break double figures for AFCON tournament goals in this edition (G8) after winning six of his seven prior scoring appearances âto nilâ. The brightest spark amongst this Gambian contingent could be Yankuba Minteh. At just 19 years old, he has already scored in the Champions League whilst on loan at Feyenoord and also scored in his only senior national team appearance.
Hot stat: Senegal have kept clean sheets in nine of their last 12 AFCON tournament games.