2019 AFCON quarter-finals betting tips – Ivory Coast vs Algeria
- By: Brian Humphrey
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Ivory Coast – +290 at Bovada
Draw – +205
Algeria – +120
A full-blooded encounter is expected when Ivory Coast and Algeria meet in the Egyptian port city of Suez this Thursday in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Two-time continental champions Ivory Coast booked their entry into the last eight with a 1-0 win over Mohamed Magassouba’s Mali on Monday evening. Having made sporadic forays forward in the first half, the Elephants were left frustrated at the break after Mali enjoyed the better chances and the lion’s share of possession. Yet it was Ivory Coast’s Wilfried Zaha who made the breakthrough, striking in the 76th minute with his second goal of the tournament.
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Algeria emphatically shovelled out Guinea with a 3-0 win to cruise into the AFCON quarter-finals. Ruthless from their opening match of the competition, the Desert Foxes once again laid a strong claim to the title by scoring the first goal within the half-hour mark through Mohamed Youcef Belaïli. Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez then added a second after the break before Adam Ounas rounded out the victory with the third.
Ounas jointly leads the race for the AFCON Golden Boot – alongside Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo – having scored thrice and provided one assist.
Ivory Coast AFCON 2019 team news
Head coach Ibrahim Kamara doesn’t have any major injury concerns to contend with, although Nicolas Pepe runs the risk of being dropped for veteran winger Max Gradel after an unimpressive outing against Mali.
Mamadou Bagayoko has been the natural replacement for star full-back Serge Aurier, who sustained a hamstring injury during Ivory Coast’s 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the group stage. However, with Kamara reassuring his captain of an automatic place in the starting 11, Aurier could return if he survives training this week.
Algeria AFCON 2019 team news
Despite playing two matches in four days, Algeria have no major injury concerns ahead of their quarter-final encounter with the Elephants. This has plenty to do with Djamel Belmadi’s squad rotation and player management, with nearly all of his 23-man squad seeing minutes at Egypt 2019.
It will, however, be interesting to see whether the Algerian tactician starts Adam Ounas or Youcef Belaili up forward. Ounas has netted three times since coming into the side against Tanzania, while the more experienced Youcef Belaili has two goals to his name.
Ivory Coast vs Algeria betting predictions
Algeria to win – +120 at Bovada
Total goals over 2.5 – +158
Ivory Coast’s slim win over Mali in the round of 16 only begins the tell the story of a campaign that has been anything but convincing. Ibrahim Kamara’s charges have won by a 1-0 scoreline in three of their four games in the tournament thus far, with their only compelling performance being the 4-1 victory against an already-eliminated Namibia in the last match of Group D.
Algeria, on the other hand, have been devastating in every sense of the word. Whether it is speed, power, or skill, the Desert Foxes have a bit of everything. The North Africans have scored nine times and are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, with their victory over Guinea being their second successive win by a three-goal margin.
Senegal may be the +185 title favourites at Bovada following Egypt’s shocking elimination from the tournament by South Africa, yet Algeria (+350) look like the team to beat.
The fact the Desert Foxes have an extra day of rest compared to Ivory Coast gives them an additional edge in Thursday’s quarter-final.
Ivory Coast AFCON 2019 results
Ivory Coast 1-0 South Africa (June 24, 2019)
Jonathan Kodjia 64’
Morocco 1-0 Ivory Coast (June 28, 2019)
Youssef En-Nesyri 23’
Namibia 1-4 Ivory Coast (July 1, 2019)
Joslin Kamatuka 71’
Max-Alain Gradel 39’
Serey Die 58’ (OG)
Wilfried Zaha 84’
Maxwel Cornet 89’
Mali 0-1 Ivory Coast (July 8, 2019)
Wilfried Zaha 76’
Algeria AFCON 2019 results
Algeria 2-0 Kenya (June 23, 2019)
Baghdad Bounedjah 34’ (P)
Riya Mahrez 43’
Senegal 0-1 Algeria (June 27, 2019)
Mohamed Youcef Belaïli 49’
Tanzania 0-3 Algeria (July 1, 2019)
Islam Slimani 34’
Adam Ounas 39’, 45+1’
Algeria 3-0 Guinea (July 7, 2019)
Mohamed Youcef Belaïli 24’
Riyad Mahrez 57’
Adam Ounas 82’
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