Senegal vs D.R. Congo prediction: AFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations betting tips on match 2025-12-26 15:00.
[p]Senegal and D.R. Congo will both be looking to build some momentum from their wins in the opening group stage round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). [/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Senegal beat Botswana 3-0 to get their tournament off to a convincing start and underline their status as FIFA’s highest-ranked African nation and one of the tournament favourites. The Lions of Teranga have been ruthless recently, winning seven of their last eight matches and scoring at least three goals in five of those victories, whilst the only blot on their copybook during that run was a 2-0 loss to Brazil. Current manager Pape Thiaw, appointed last December, will back himself to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Aliou Cissé, who guided Senegal to their first and only AFCON title at the 2021 edition in Cameroon.[/p]
[p]D.R. Congo’s win on matchday one was slightly less comfortable, squeezing past Benin 1-0 as they look to build on their fourth-placed finish from the previous AFCON. Like their opponents, SĂ©bastien Desabre’s men have been in sensational form, winning their last six internationals – a run which includes reaching the inter-confederation play-offs for the 2026 World Cup at Nigeria’s expense – and keeping five clean sheets in the process. The Leopards should therefore feel confident about tasting victory in their first two games at an AFCON tournament for the very first time. [/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Senegal are unbeaten in the last eight H2Hs (W6, D2), a sequence which includes a 3-2 win from 2-0 down in World Cup qualifying in September.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Senegal have scored at least one first-half goal in six of their last seven internationals.[/p]
[p]The last seven goals that Senegal have conceded all came before the break. [/p]
[p]D.R. Congo have scored at least once before half-time in eight of their last nine internationals.[/p]
[p]Seven of the last nine AFCON goals that D.R. Congo have conceded came prior to half-time.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Following his brace in the win over Botswana, all six of Nicolas Jackson’s goals for Senegal in 2025 have come inside the first hour. ThĂ©o Bongonda got D.R. Congo’s winner against Benin – the seventh time out of seven international goalscoring appearances that his nation won with a clean sheet.[/p]
[p]Neither side appear to have any fresh absentees. [/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Given the nature of Senegal’s win over Botswana and their tendency to start games pretty quickly, it could be smart to back Senegal/Senegal in the half-time/full-time market. [/p]
[p]Author: Alex Bowmer[/p]