AFCON Betting Tips
5pm – Nigeria v South Africa
Under 2.5 Goals
Ademola Lookman to Score
8pm – Ivory Coast v Congo
Both Teams to Score
5 or More Cards
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*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.
Nigeria vs South Africa
AFCON semi final at Stade de Bouake, Bouake
TV: BBC Two & Sky Sports Main Event, 5pm
Under 2.5 Goals
And then there were four.
Remarkably, none of the four semi-finalists at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations topped their group earlier in the tournament, underlining the total unpredictability of this most chaotic of international football tournaments.
The meeting between Nigeria and South Africa represents a clash between the two most defensively sound sides at the tournament.
Both sides have kept four consecutive clean sheets and have not conceded since the opening round of fixtures, with Nigeria conceding just once in a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea and South Africa conceding twice in a 2-0 defeat against Mali.
Neither side has been particularly adventurous at AFCON, with Nigeria scoring one goal in four of their five games so far. None of their five games have seen more than two goals, while only two of South Africa’s games have seen three goals or more.
Neither South Africa nor Nigeria rank particularly highly in terms of shots per game, with South Africa averaging 11.2 shots per game – the 12th-highest average in the tournament – and Nigeria averaging 12.4 shots per game – the ninth-highest at AFCON. We look set for a cagey semi-final on Wednesday afternoon.
Ademola Lookman to Score
Forget Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman has proved to be the hero of Nigeria’s AFCON campaign so far. The Atalanta winger has scored all three of Nigeria’s goals in the knockout stages, scoring twice in the 2-0 win over Cameroon and scoring the only goal as Nigeria saw off Angola in the last eight.
He is now fourth in the top goalscorer list at the competition and is the only player remaining in the tournament to have scored three goals or more, giving him a realistic chance of finishing with the Golden Boot.
Lookman also scored seven goals in 18 league appearances for Atalanta this season before departing for the AFCON and is a good bet to breach the almost impregnable South African defence on Wednesday.
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Ivory Coast vs DR Congo
AFCON semifinal at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, Abidjan
TV: BBC Three & Sky Sports Main Event, 8pm
Both Teams to Score
Both Ivory Coast and DR Congo have made the last four while winning just one game in 90 minutes, once again underlining the chaotic nature of this current AFCON.
Ivory Coast have not won a game in normal time since their opening day victory over Guinea-Bissau, failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four games.
DR Congo, who drew every group stage game before beating Egypt on penalties in the round-of-16, have also managed just one clean sheet at the tournament.
Both teams have found the back of the net in four of their five games at the tournament and all signs point to this being the higher-scoring of the two semi-finals.
5 or More Cards
Hosts Ivory coast are the worst-disciplined side at AFCON, receiving 10 bookings and two red cards in their five games to date, a rate of over two cards per game.
The Congolese boast a far better record at the tournament, receiving just seven yellow cards in their five games, but have picked up four of their yellow cards in their two knockout games.
It is simple logic that the number of cards per game is likely to rise as the stakes increase, with players more likely to enter the book for making cynical fouls or letting frustration get the better of them.
With a place in the final on the line, there is every chance that we will see a relatively high card count on Wednesday night.
AFCON Betting Tips
Under 2.5 Goals
Ademola Lookman to Score
7 or More Corners
Both Teams to Score
5 or More Cards
- A Multi Match Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 36/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*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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