The Africa Cup of Nations final takes place on Sunday evening when two of the biggest nations and best players on the continent oppose each other for the title as Senegal take on Egypt in an intriguing conclusion to the event in Cameroon.
These two sides will get to know each other very well over the coming months as they have been drawn against each other in the final round of World Cup qualifying as well. For now though it is all about continental glory.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full across all three Sky channels, Sky Main Event, Sky Premier League and Sky Football. BBC Three will also show the game in its entirety. It is a 7pm kick off out in Cameroon.
Senegal
Since the group stage of the tournament, Senegal hold strong claims for being the best team in the competition. The one thing which might count against them in that claim is they are yet to meet a heavyweight side in Africa but they can only beat what is in front of them and since the struggles of the initial part of the event they have done that very well. Their wins over Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso in the quarter finals and semi-final had more than a touch of class about them.
Senegal have found their scoring boots in recent matches and although you couldn’t argue they are watertight in defence, the fact they have come through all their knockout matches in normal time has to be a massive boost because this tournament has come and gone pretty quickly. They have also had the luxury of playing their semi-final first and had the extra day to recover which they will be hoping makes a difference here.
Special Offer
Open up a Betfair account during the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 and bet £10 to receive £40 in free bets to use on the tournament! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer. New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble responsibly.
Egypt
The Egyptians have had to go the tough route to this final but you have to give them credit for their fighting spirit and ability to hang tough and be hard to beat. If you are a football purist then Egypt aren’t the easiest watch, there is no getting away from that, but what they lack in aesthetics they make up for in fight and determination. The question is whether that will be enough here or if they need to show something more than that.
The immediate concern would be the fact that twice they have had to go to penalties in the knockout stage of the event and the other time they won during extra time so they have effectively played an entire match more than their opponents in this final. You would imagine the adrenalin of a final will overcome any fatigue but it highlights that despite having Mo Salah in their ranks, they lack that something needed to break the better sides down.
Betting
This final will be billed around the two Liverpool superstars Sadio Mane and Mo Salah but I actually think it is going to be decided by the support cast for each of them and that is where I think Senegal have the edge. They certainly have a fitness edge. Much of their squad missed the opening stages of the event because of Covid so won’t have as many miles in their legs whereas key Egypt players will have played six matches which is effectively seven with the three extra time periods.
The other issues Egypt have to overcome is the absence of key defender Ahmed Hegazi and their coach Carlos Quieroz. The former is expected to miss this final because of injury while the latter is banned from the touchline after his antics during the semi-final. That means the problems are beginning to mount up for Egypt and while I fully expect a tight final in keeping with those which have gone before it, if there is a winner inside the 90 minutes all logic suggests it will be Senegal.
Tips
Back Senegal (-0.25AH) to beat Egypt for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with BetVictor
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
