The first two groups conclude at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday when Groups A and B come to a close with the final set of fixtures as eight teams look to secure their spot in the knockout stages of the competition.
Four of the biggest nations in Africa will be battling out not just to make it through but also to attempt to win the group and give themselves the smoother path to the latter stages of the tournament so we should be in for a good night of action.
Monday’s fixtures are as follows: (UK kick off in brackets)
Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast (17.00)
Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria (17.00)
Cape Verde v Egypt (20.00)
Mozambique v Ghana (20.00)
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Preview
Group A is the first one to conclude and it looks like doing so in fine fashion as the tournament hosts Ivory Coast look to make it into the top two and guarantee their progress. They go up against the Equatoria Guinea in what should be an open match knowing if they win they will finish in the top two. A defeat would leave a nervy wait for the Ivorians. Nigeria are the other big nation who will be looking to make it through. They will finish in the top two with a draw against the already eliminated Guinea-Bissau but will need to win the game if they are going to win the group.
When Group A is done the attention will turn onto Group B where Ghana and Egypt will look to repair a poor start to the competition. Cape Verde have not only qualified for the next stage but they will win this group and Egypt will probably have to win to join them automatically in the next round. Those two meet in other in one match but the other one is the interesting one as Mozambique take on Ghana with both teams on one point so the winners should be fine to progress but might only do so as a best third placed team.
Betting
I’ll go with the one bet over the course of these closing games with it coming in Group B where I think Mozambique and Ghana can combine for a few goals to round off proceedings. We saw in the last Mozambique game that their keeper is a bit of a mess and Ghana should be adopting a shoot at every opportunity policy and with the Premier League quality they have in attacking areas that should yield rewards for the Black Stars.
The one thing we have seen in both Mozambique matches so far is that they are not afraid to go forward and have a go. It didn’t really work for them against Cape Verde last time out but they scored twice against Egypt and the fact they have to win this game to have a chance of progressing makes me think they will go with an attack approach. Ghana are in the same boat so this one looks an ideal candidate for over 2.25 goals.
Tips
Back Mozambique vs Ghana – Over 2.25 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
