AFCON Quali Group E, Matchday 1, Thursday, 05.09.2024 at 21:00
While the ball is at rest in the top divisions almost everywhere in Europe, soccer is being played at international level on several continents this week.
South of the Mediterranean, qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 is currently on the agenda! And according to my Algeria-Equatorial Guinea tip, there could be another nasty surprise for the “desert foxes” on matchday 1
Algeria put in a truly disastrous performance at the last Africa Cup of Nations in 2023. The North Africans had never done so badly at an AFCON finals!
The embarrassing 1-0 defeat in the group stage of the 2022 Africa Cup against none other than their upcoming opponents, Equatorial Guinea, was particularly bitter.
This is what makes next Thursday’s clash in Oran so explosive. Especially as the “Desert Foxes” are now naturally out for revenge – and that’s exactly what you need to keep in mind when placing your bets!
On the betting markets, the odds for the clash between Algeria and Equatorial Guinea are pretty clear: The “Desert Foxes” are the clear favorites.
With odds of 1.36, they are given a probability of around 72%. This shows that the bookmakers have strong faith in a victory for the North Africans.
The situation is different for Equatorial Guinea, who are seen as clear underdogs. Odds of 4.50 mean that they only have a 22% chance of winning.
And this despite the fact that the underrated “Nzalang Nacional” have not only been involved in the last two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, but have even reached the knockout phase on both occasions …
Let’s take a detailed look at how we can get something out of the Algeria-Equatorial Guinea odds.
Algeria may have been a dominant force in African soccer a few years ago, but a lot has changed since then. Only two wins in their last seven games, and that against weaker teams like Uganda and Bolivia, speaks volumes.
Therefore, a bet on “Double Chance X2” with odds of 2.62, on the guests already winning the Africa Cup duel in January 2022, would be well worth considering
Equatorial Guinea have often played very defensively of late and conceded little. Each of their last five international matches has ended with fewer than three goals.
That suggests a tough game with few goals. A bet on “Under 2.5 goals” with odds of 1.65 could be just right here. Especially if you want to play it safe.
Another smart move would be to select the options “Double chance for Equatorial Guinea” and “Under 2.5 goals” at the same time in the handy Oddset app.
The combination would yield decent winnings, even if you could of course easily settle for one of the two scenarios as a single bet
Vladimir Petkovic took over as Algeria coach in the spring, but although he can draw from one of the best pools of players in Africa, his performances so far have been unsatisfactory.
The Bosnian is already being criticized, and rightly so! They recently lost to Guinea at home and had to turn around a 0:1 deficit against Uganda a short time later (2:1)
The Algerian selection for the game against Equatorial Guinea has now been officially submitted and includes the return of Riyad Mahrez, who has been called back into the team after a break.
Mahrez, who plays for Al Ahli Saudi, has not featured for the ‘Desert Foxes’ since March after taking time out due to disappointing performances at the last Africa Cup
The home side’s midfield will be led by stars such as Bennacer (AC Milan) and Zerrouki (Feyenoord), while in attack – as already mentioned – Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli) returns after his break.
Mahrez’s experience could give the team new impetus, but the absence of other key players such as Boudaouji (Nice) or Benrahma (Lyon) could affect the morale of the “Desert Foxes”.
Despite the immense quality of the squad – from defender Bensebaini (Dortmund) to striker Bounedjah (Al Shamal) – it remains questionable whether they can actually restore their already battered confidence for Thursday without several leading players
Also relevant for you: Betway is one of the first and few bookmakers to already offer odds for all matches of the Africa Cup qualifiers (AFCON).
This makes it the ideal platform for fans of African soccer who want to place their bets early.
With the Betway bonus, you can additionally secure your bets and maximize your starting capital – perfect for taking full advantage of the interesting Algeria Equatorial Guinea odds!
Conclusion: Algeria finished fourth in their group at the last Africa Cup of Nations.
Of course, this team has the potential to perform much better, but as a collective they have been out of step for several years now.
The visitors, on the other hand, continue to be chronically underestimated by the bookmakers, although they have already proven on several occasions that they can successfully go toe-to-toe with even the strongest nations on the Black Continent.
My Algeria Equatorial Guinea tip is therefore: Double chance X2
