Algeria vs Angola prediction: AFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations betting tips on match 2024-01-14 20:00.
Group D of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) begins in Bouaké with Algeria keen to avenge a terrible showing in the last edition where, despite entering the tournament as defending champions and one of the favourites to claim the title, they finished bottom of their group without a win. Despite that, they retained head coach Djamel Belmadi and once again enter this tournament considered as one of the most likely contenders for the crown.
The Greens have not been conquered by any nation since beginning qualification for this tournament, going through qualifying with a W5, D1 record and just two goals conceded. They collected multiple goal victories in two November 2023 World Cup qualifiers as well as in two lead-up friendlies earlier this month, but Belmadi, who correctly predicted his side would win the 2019 AFCON, this time identified several other teams led by host nation Ivory Coast as more likely victors.
The Algerians will therefore be wary of repeating their debacle from the last AFCON, and first up face an out-of-sorts Angola who are the rank outsiders of the group. Angola appear a long way away from emulating the feats of the golden generation of 2005-10, with their two previous AFCON finals appearances (2013 and 2019) both ending in winless group stages.
Since defeating a ten-man Central African Republic to secure qualification in June 2023, Angola have won just two of 11 games including friendlies (D7, L2). To illustrate just how poor shape they look to be in ahead of their first meeting with Algeria since 2010, that includes failing to win as favourites against the likes of Mauritius (D 0-0 and L 1-0), Mozambique (1-1 twice) and Madagascar (0-0), all of whom are ranked outside FIFA’s top-100 with Angola.
Players to watch: 35-year-old Islam Slimani’s only two-and-a-half hours of football since mid-November was all in an Algeria kit, but it was to their benefit as he scored in three of his four appearances. Angola’s greatest attacking threat could be Gelson Dala, who came into this tournament with goals in three of his last four games for Qatari club Al-Wakra.
Hot streak: Algeria maintained first-half clean sheets in each of their last eight games against senior national team opposition (W6, D2).