Côte d'Ivoire vs Egypt Prediction & Betting Tips - AFCON

Prediction published on 22/01/2022, 17:28  by Joseph King | Modified on 22/01/2022 at 23:29 in AFCON Predictions

A blockbuster matchup in Africa Cup of Nations sees Egypt take on Ivory Coast in what is the most high-profile game of the first knockout round. Ivory Coast come into this match as favorites after they topped group E with seven points and it was their most recent win that was the most impressive. The Elephants doomed the defending champions Algeria to a bottom-of-the-group finish with a 3-1 victory in a result that should act as a huge confidence boost to this talented squad. Their opponents finished second in group D with six points after recovering from an opening loss to win their remaining two games. Egypt were defeated 1-0 by Nigeria in the opener in a match that they were thoroughly outplayed but were then able to defeat Guinea-Bissau and Sudan each with a 1-0 scoreline. While Egypt aren’t necessarily playing poorly, they definitely haven’t hit top gear and will need to step up their performance if they are to get a result against a dangerous Ivory Coast side. 

Ivory Coast have real star power in this squad with big names such as Frank Kessie, Pepe, Haller, Wilf Zaha and Bailly all recognizable to football fans around the globe. Nearly everybody in their starting 11 is an established player among Europe’s top leagues and they boast an abundance of attacking riches on the bench. While Ivory Coast sport a good distribution of talent, Egypt are a side that have the single best player in the competition in Mo Salah. The Pharaohs can certainly be forgiven for relying too much on the Liverpool winger given his match winning ability, but they will need other players to step up if they want to progress any further in this tournament. Egypt have been depending on their solid defensive performances in their recent matches and have been involved in a number of low scoring games. Five straight matches have seen at most one total goal but the Egyptians might have a tough time keeping out this high powered Ivory Coast team.