* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
What better way to ease yourself into the weekend than with another glorious round of Africa Cup of Nations matches? The competition is really heating up now and Wednesday saw some truly remarkable scenes with all kind of nonsense going on all over the place.
Not only do we get to bask in the glow of that Friday feeling, but AFCON’s come up trumps with four games to savour. We’re charging headfirst into the second round of games now and the action here comes from Groups B and C.
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First up it’s a big one with Senegal v Guinea, the two teams to win their opening match in Group B. At 4pm it’s the other two sides in that group with Malawi and Zimbabwe looking for vital points to keep their hopes of progression alive.
Also at 4pm Morocco take on minnows Comoros while Gabon face Ghana at 7pm with the Black Stars looking for their first points of the campaign. There’s a lot going on so, without time to waste, here’s your best bet with a bit of value for each and every game on Friday at AFCON.
1pm: Senegal v Guinea – Senegal Win & Over 2.5 Goals
TV: Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Premier League
These two both won their opening AFCON matches 1-0, Senegal defeating Zimbabwe and Guinea beating Malawi. Only one game in the opening round had more than one goal in it. It’s a shocking return and hopefully now the first-round nerves are out of the way we’ll see some free-flowing football.
Both sides have been entertaining to watch this season with The Lions of Teranga witnessing an average of 3.2 goals per game. For Guinea the number is 2.7 over seven games – that’s scored and conceded for both. The National Elephants’ win over Malawi was their first of this campaign so I think it’s safe to side with Senegal who have won all bar one of their seven games since September 2021.
With that combined average of just shy of three goals a game I’m going to take a chance that these two put on a bit of a show and buck the norm in this competition. Senegal to Win and Over 2.5 Goals is a very nice price.
4pm: Malawi v Zimbabwe – Under 1.5 Goals
TV: Sky Sports Premier League
To a must-win clash for both Malawi and Zimbabwe. As mentioned, both lost their opener 1-0 and will need a win to keep qualification hopes alive, though there are some best 3rd-placed team spots up for grabs.
These two are both in turgid form with Zimbabwe losing all but three of their eight games this season and yet to taste victory. It’s not much better for The Flames, they’ve won two and lost six of their eight this season.
Not much hope, then, for either of these two to go very deep in this competition, you’d think. Zimbabwe have scored two in eight games this season and Malawi four in the same number. I will be siding with Under 1.5 Goals in this one.
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4pm: Morocco v Comoros – Morocco (-2)
TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football
Also at 4pm we have Morocco v Comoros in what should be a brutally one-sided affair. The Atlas Lions are ranked 28th in the world by FIFA, making them CAF’s second-best team. Comoros, the tiny archipelago of islands between Madagascar and Mozambique, are ranked 132nd.
The Coelacanths are not completely hopeless, though, and they’ve won three of their five games this season. However, they have come a cropper when playing the better sides. You won’t find much better in this competition than Morocco.
The Atlas Lions have won 10 of their 11 games this season with seven of them by a three-goal margin or more. Sorry Comoros fans, it can only be a heavy Morocco win and I like the look of them to beat the (-2) handicap.
7pm: Gabon v Ghana – The Draw
TV: Sky Sports Football, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Website
A bumper day of AFCON action is headlined by Gabon v Ghana. The Panthers beat Comoros, you guessed it, 1-0 while Ghana lost to Morocco by the same scoreline in their opener. Both have been up and down this season with no real consistent form to talk of.
It’s a tricky game to call but Ghana are Paddy’s favourites. Given their inconsistency and poor form recently I can’t quite get on board with that. I think we might be in line for a Draw in this one with two teams who don’t seem to be that far apart.
Friday’s AFCON football tips
1pm: Senegal v Guinea – Senegal to Win and Over 2.5 Goals
4pm: Malawi v Zimbabwe – Under 1.5 Goals
4pm: Morocco v Comoros – Morocco (-2)
7pm: Gabon v Ghana – The Draw
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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