South Africa Tokelo Rantie Bafana
Group A
.
Equatorial Guinea v Congo – Saturday 17 January – Bata (18:00)
1-1 draw 2-1 3-1
Hosts Equatorial Guinea will kick-start the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations against Congo. These nations are probably the two least respected sides coming into the tournament, but both probe serious threats. Equatorial Guinea will have the crucial home support behind them while Congo managed to qualify for the showpiece ahead of Nigeria.
Having earned their place at AFCON 2015 as host nation following Morocco’s surprise withdraw just a few months before the tournament, Equatorial Guinea will be hoping for a repeat of their 2012 showing where they co-hosted the tournament with Gabon and made their way to the knockout phase of the competition.
Just a month before the tournament they decided to sack their Spanish coach and rope in Argentinean Esteban Becker who led the women’s team to the 2012 Nations Cup title. A lack of positive results by the national side in the last two years, as well as two friendly losses in warm-up games in Portugal last week against Villafranquense and Benfica’s B team, seemed to have made up the national association’s mind.
Due to a lack of talent in the country Equatorial Guinea have tracked down many players who were born in Spain – and ply their trade in the lower leagues there – but are of Equatorial Guinean decent. They are the lowest ranked nation in the tournament but will be hoping that their home support can be the decisive factor against bigger teams.
Congo will come into the tournament with great confidence after qualifying for the AFCON ahead of Nigeria and Sudan to finish two points behind group winners South Africa. The Red Devils put in some sterling performances along the way, starting off with their 3-2 success over the Super Eagles, and two comfortable victories against Sudan. Congo don’t have a good record in the Nations Cup but do boast the honour of lifting the title in 1972, beating Cameroon in the final. Like many of the AFCON squads, Congo boast quite a few players who ply their trade in some of Europe’s top leagues.
Almeria forward Thievy Bifouma headlines the list. Despite being 22-years-old, Bifouma has ample experience in the footballing world, plying his trade in Spain for the last four years since moving from Strasbourg’s youth academy in France and also having a short loan spell in England with West Bromwich Albion.
The hosts have played 11 games in the last two years, winning just once and losing eight times. Congo are priced up at a phenomenal 3/1 and after proving their steel during the qualifiers should be backed for the win at that price.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
.
Burkina Faso v Gabon – Saturday 17 January – Bata (21:00)
12-10 draw 2-1 24-10
The opening match will be followed by the other Group A encounter between Burkina Faso and Gabon. These two sides are no strangers as they were also pitted against each other in the qualifiers, with Gabon finishing in top spot one point above Burkina Faso.
After dazzling their way to the final in the last edition of the tournament, Burkina Faso will be evaluating how they can produce similar success this time round—without the “surprise” factor they had last time. AFCON 2013 was where Burkina Faso truly announced themselves to the world of football, as they floated through to the final in South Africa—only to be beaten by continental giants Nigeria.
The Stallions then proved that 2013 was no fluke when they made it all the way to play-offs to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but lost out on the away goals rule to Algeria. Their recipe for success has been their valiant defence. They conceded just three goals in six matches during the 2013 tournament and just four goals from six matches during qualifying for this year’s event. However, in attack they tend to rely on one man in Jonathan Pitroipa, who was Player of the Tournament in 2013 and scored six of their eight goals during the 2015 qualifiers.
Gabon will enter this year’s AFCON showpiece on the back of a convincing qualifying campaign, where they finished top of Group C with an undefeated record, winning their three home fixtures and drawing their three travels. They will likely look the more confident side after claiming four points off Burkina Faso in the qualifiers, earning a comfortable 2-0 win in Libreville.
The squad is headlined by Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has been a key member of the Gabon side that reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 AFCON as co-hosts of the competition. He is one of the fastest footballers in the world and along with most of Gabon’s other players sets the tone for a high intensity direct game.
While Burkina Faso have some good defenders, Gabon’s defence was just as solid in the qualifiers as they too conceded just four goals. Gabon have the superior attack and should once again oust their opponents.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
.
Group B
.
Zambia v DR Congo – Sunday 18 January – Ebebiyín (18:00)
Zambia will be looking to repeat their success of the 2012 AFCON but their mission won’t be easy against the Democratic Republic of Congo who have shown lots of progress since winning the 2009 Orange African Championship of Nations (CHAN).
Zambia finished second in their qualifying group, where they accumulated 11 points in the six matches played. The irony of it all is that they recorded fewer defeats than the Cape Verde, who finished at the top of that group. After drawing at home to Mozambique, losing to the eventual group winners and drawing in Niger, Zambia went on to win their final three matches to secure qualification.
They then earned a commendable 1-1 draw in a friendly against Ivory Coast before losing 1-0 to Shakes Mashaba’s unconquerable Bafana side in their final warm up match at the beginning of the month. Zambia have qualified for their fourth consecutive Africa Cup of Nations. The core of this team remains the same, but with some older elements stagnating, Honour Janza must look to fresher prospects if they are to prosper, especially in attack.
Like many of the football nations in this group, the DRC have a fascinating tale to tell ahead of this year’s tournament. The Leopards were the best third-placed finishers during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign last year. At first glance, it would appear they produced a rather ordinary qualifying campaign. However, it needs to be noted that the Central African nation was forced to compete against a resurgent Cameroon and the mighty Ivory Coast during Group D qualifying.
To have walked away with three wins in that group was highly commendable and their efforts have subsequently been rewarded. They managed to win both legs against Sierra Leone, winning 2-0 away and 3-1 at home and stunned everyone with their 4-3 victory over Ivory Coast in Abidjan. Their success is owed to tricky wing play where Jeremy Bokila and Yannick Bolasie provide a direct threat to goal.
DR Congo will be full of confidence ahead of the match and rightly so. When you survive a group which contains two African heavyweights such as Cameroon and Ivory Coast, they ought to be. However, the Leopards have failed to beat Zambia in seven meetings with Chipolopolo winning three times. They’ve played out to four draws and given the form between these teams, the draw looks a solid bet.
Written by Chadley Nagel
.
Tunisia v Cape Verde Islands – Sunday 18 January – Ebebiyín (21:00)
Georges Leekens’ enchanting Tunisia side will be looking to start their campaign on the right foot but face a stern test against the Blue Sharks of the Cape Verde Islands who delivered impressive performances during the qualifiers when they became, along with Algeria, the first of two nations to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
It seems almost unjust that Tunisia, who conquered the African continent in 2004, have won this tournament just once. The Eagles of Carthage came agonisingly close to lifting the title back in 1996 and deserved better than fourth position in 2000. Tunisia are currently the third ranked team in Africa and 31st in the world.
The North Africans went undefeated during their qualifying campaign and finished one point clear of a dangerous looking Senegal side in Group G. They managed four wins and two goalless draws away to Senegal and Botswana. Tunisia play an attacking brand of football and have some dangerous attacking players. Their most important player, who has been arguably the most impressive attacking player in qualification for this tournament has been their captain, Yassine Chikhaoui.
Magestical on the ball and deceptively deft for a man of his size, the FC Zurich star has delivered the sort of performances for club and country this season that now make observers understand Tunisians’ classification of him as a type of Zinedine Zidane.
Cape Verde were among the first two teams to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and there has never been any doubt that they deserved to be the winners of Group F after a rigorous qualifying campaign. The Blue Sharks picked up four victories from six matches, losing just twice on their travels to Mozambique and Zambia, but did manage to beat them in their home land. An aspect about Cape Verde which is often taken for granted, and sometimes even ignored, is that they are currently the fourth ranked team in Africa. The only nations ahead of them are Algeria, the Ivory Coast and Tunisia.
The Blue Sharks have not had overwhelming success in African competition in the past, having first secured passage to the continental showpiece at South Africa 2013. Nevertheless, under the tutelage of head coach Rui Aguas, the small island nation is increasingly starting to show they have what it takes to square off against the best.
Tunisia are unbeaten in their last six matches with four victories and have won the last two meetings against Cape Verde, scoring five goals while conceding just one. Back the Eagles of Carthage to reign supreme at a tantalizing 11/10.
Written by Chadley Nagel
.
Group C
.
Ghana v Senegal – Monday 19 January – Mongomo (18:00)
17-20 draw 21-10 7-2
Monday sees the Group of Death get underway with African heavyweights Ghana and Senegal clashing in the first match. Ghana and Senegal lie fifth and fourth respectively in the CAF rankings but Ghana come into this match as favourites due to their big tournament pedigree.
Ghana have won the AFCON trophy four times (1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982), making them the second most successful team in the contest’s history, behind Egypt. The Black Stars have also finished as runners-up four times, most recently in 2010, and have been a constant in qualifying for the tournament as well as the World Cup in recent times.
The Black Stars are one of a few teams who will have a new manager at the helm in Equatorial Guinea. Ex-Chelsea coach Avram Grant was given the job after a disappointing 2014 World Cup showing and a nail biting qualification journey. The Black Stars will be led at the tournament by Captain Asamoah Gyan who joins Andre Ayew, Jonathan Mensah, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Mubarak Wakaso as the experienced bunch of players who will need to guide the many new faces.
Senegal will once again relish coming out of a tough group after proving themselves in one of the toughest qualification groups to book their place in the finals. The Teranga Lions managed to qualify from a group which included North African heavyweights Tunisia and Egypt along with Botswana, with relative ease.
They beat both Egypt and Botswana home and away, failing to only beat Tunisia who held them to a draw at home and beat them in Monastir. While Senegal have always been blessed with good attackers their defence shone through in the qualifiers, letting in just one goal.
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho has been ruled out with injury but Senegal won’t be too concerned as they have plenty of attacking power with the likes of Mame Diouf (Stoke City), Moussa Sow (Fenerbahce), Papiss Cisse (Newcastle) and Sadio Mane (Southampton) in the team.
Ghana only won three of their six qualifiers, drawing at home to Uganda and away to Guinea and then losing in Uganda. Senegal look a force to be reckoned with in attack and are tipped to oust the favourites here.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
.
Algeria v South Africa – Monday 19 January – Mongomo (21:00)
11/10 draw 21/10 5/2
Shakes Mashaba’s exciting Bafana Bafana team will be looking to start the tournament on the right foot and continue with their winning momentum.
However, their assignment won’t be straightforward as they come up against the number one ranked nation in Africa who have continued to impress since their excellent 2014 World Cup showing where they lost to eventual champions Germany in extra-time of the round of 16.
Algeria made short work of qualifying for the AFCON with five consecutive wins and one defeat against Mali to top their qualifying group by some distance. Christian Gourcuff has decided not to change a winning formula, with the majority of the squad remaining the same from the World Cup but has put his own little signature on the team.
Sporting Lisbon’s Islam Slimani is certain to provide a goal threat along with his strike partner, El Arbi Soudani, with both scoring 24 goals for their country between them. Yaccine Brahimi is the man that makes Algeria tick. Recent winner of the BBC African Player of the Year award, Brahimi has been a key player for Gourcuff’s team and scored three goals during the qualifiers.
South Africa head into the 2015 AFCON with a new-found sense of optimism after going undefeated in the qualifying campaign. Their unbeaten record since Mashaba took charge in August stands at five wins and four draws.
Bafana have shown a lot of improvement since missing out on last year’s World Cup and were responsible for eliminating Nations Cup holders Nigeria in the qualifiers. Mashaba has got Bafana playing an exciting flexible style of football, adept at pressing high up on the pitch while also able to sit deep if need be and catch teams on the counter with ruthless efficiency.
They work extremely hard and have a boundless energy which is capable of overwhelming opponents. Shakes has brought in hungry players who had the determination to succeed unlike sticking with the prestigious ones who had let the country down previously. You simply have to look at his decision to bring in the young Rivaldo Coetzee to see that this was a man who chose his squad based on merit and not reputation. Shakes has got a fantastic balance in the squad both offensively and defensively.
Mashaba could not have asked for a better partnership of Andile Jali and Dean Furman while striker Tokelo Rantie has been a man with confidence during Mashaba’s tenure. Bafana will be without the Kaizer Chiefs pair of Eric Mathoho and Reneilwe Letsholonyane due to suspension.
Bafana have met Algeria three times in the past, winning once and drawing twice. Mashaba’s men are beaming with confidence and the fact that the pressure will be on the Fennec Foxes to win could work in their favour.
Algeria looked vulnerable in their recent 2-0 defeat to Mali, followed by their 1-1 draw with Tunisia last weekend. Bafana are the in-form team at the moment and I can’t see them losing. Back South Africa on the win/draw at 13/20.
Written by Chadley Nagel
.
Group D
Ivory Coast v Guinea – Tuesday 20 January – Malabo (18:00)
Ivory Coast will begin their quest for AFCON glory against Guinea, who on paper look to be the weakest team in Group D. However, the west Africans do have the quality to cause an upset on their day.
Ivory Coast had a poor 2014 World Cup showing in Brazil, managing just one win and two defeats but, will be looking to put that behind them here. Coach Herve Renard took over the reins after Sabri Lamouchi’s journey ended with the 2014 World Cup. The Elephants had an inconsistent qualifying campaign, finishing second in their group behind Cameroon with three wins, a draw and two defeats.
The 2015 AFCON is widely regarded as Ivory Coast’s golden generation’s last chance to win international honours, with Yaya and Kolo Toure, as well as Boubacar Barry, likely playing in their last major tournament for their country, with Didier Zokora and Didier Drogba already having recently hung up their boots. Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony and Gervinho have been in scintillating form for their respective clubs and will be the go to players.
Guinea upset the odds in the AFCON qualifiers by beating both Uganda and Togo to second place in Group E, finishing a single point behind Ghana after three wins, a draw and two losses. Head coach Michel Dussuyer has already faced his share of problems selecting his squad, with France-based duo Ismael Bangoura and Bouna Sarr rejecting call-ups to focus on their club football.
Dussuyer, though, will be able to rely on the likes of AC Milan midfielder Kevin Constant, Borussia Monchengladbach striker Ibrahima Traore and Lyon forward Mohamed Lamine Yattara. However, they will have to be at their absolute best if they are to get the better of The Elephants.
These sides have met five times since 2007, with The Elephants winning four of those five meetings. Ivory Coast have enough fire power to dispose of Guinea and claim the victory.
Written by Aaron Crowie
.
Mali v Cameroon – Tuesday 20 January – Malabo (21:00)
Mali and Cameroon will lock horns in what looks to be a tight affair. Four time African champions Cameroon will be looking to prove why they are known as African giants, having not been involved in the AFCON since 2010.
Mali come into the AFCON having finished third in the last two editions and will be keen to build on that. Seydou Keita is also likely to call time on his international career after the tournament, so he will want to end on a high.
The Eagles finished runners-up in Group B during qualification, behind powerhouses Algeria, after winning three and losing three of their six matches. Coach Henryk Kasperczak surprised many by bringing in forward Modibo Maiga (Metz) and midfielder Abdou Traore (Bordeaux) back into the fold, with neither having featured for their country in the last 12 months.
Cameroon endured a dismal World Cup in Brazil last year as they dropped out at the group stages having failed to win a single game. However, they have since been in exceptional form and went through their AFCON qualifying campaign unbeaten, topping their group with four wins and two draws. There will be extreme pressure on the likes of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Schalke), Vincent Aboubakar (Porto) and Benjamin Moukandjo (Reims) to lead the line as Cameroon prepare for their first major tournament without the lethal Samuel Eto’o.
Mali are ranked 10th in the CAF rankings whilst Cameroon are placed 8th. These sides last met back in the 2002 AFCON where Cameroon were 3-0 victors. Although the score line might not be as high, the Indomitable Lions are tipped to triumph once again.
Written by Aaron Crowie
.
Provided by Soccer Betting News
www.sbnews.co.za
