The Lions of Teranga roared their way into the knockout rounds of the competition. Indeed, the defending champions have netted 3 goals in each of their fixtures and showing no signs of slowing down. Hot on their heels are Guinea, who are vying for group honours!
To win (90 min)
Guinea 49/20
Draw 31/20
Senegal 27/20
GUINEA
Guinea have amassed four points from their opening two fixtures at AFCON. Kaba Diawara’s men held Cameroon on opening day, before dispatching Gambia by a solitary goal to come into this round of action in second place in Group C.
The National Elephants are on the brink of qualifying for a place in the knockout rounds of the competition. In their most recent tie against Gambia, Aguibou Camara scored the only goal of the game, latching onto Morgan Guilavogui’s pass, to hand his nation maximum points. Whilst they just need to avoid defeat on the day to progress via direct qualification, two goals in two doesn’t bode well for their goal difference.
Le Harve’s Mohamed Bayo has looked sharp. The twenty-five year old has attempted five shots across his two appearances, returning one goal. Further to that, he has struck the woodwork twice and could add to his tally in this one. Minutes for Bayo could be limited for the remainder of the tournament, as Serhou Guirassy could force his way back into the line up. The second-top scorer in the Bundesliga, appeared on the bench (following a thigh injury) against Gambia and could make his debut at the tournament in this one.
SENEGAL
Senegal’s fifth win of a six-match unbeaten run means that Aliou Cisse’s men are favourites to go on and defend their title. In doing so, they would be the first since Egypt in 2010, to successfully retain the AFCON trophy (with the Pharaohs winning it three times in a row).
The Lions of Teranga have booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the competition, after a pair of dominant performances. The first of which was a 3 nil romp over Gambia, before a 3-1 dismantling of Cameroon. Those pair of victories mean that they occupy top spot in Group C.
Ismaila Sarr has been directly involved in half of those goals. The Marseille based player supplied an assist for Lamine Camara on opening day, before opening his account at the tournament against Cameroon. He would go on to play in Castelletto before being withdrawn.
PREDICTION: Senegal
With two wins from two, I think Senegal will want to go one further and make it a perfect record. Standing in their way are their West African counterparts who are gunning for top spot! This tasty encounter should spark an open game of football, a game that Sengal win all day long!
Written by Desh Parthab