AFCON 2023 is underway, with the first round of group games delivering thrilling displays. From Equatorial Guinea’s heroic performance against Nigeria to Cape Verde’s giant-killing display against Ghana, this is shaping up to be the best AFCON yet. With games intensifying, BetKing, Nigeria's leading online sports betting site, is here to analyze the matches and offer the best betting tips to enhance your chances of winning big.
**Morocco vs Tanzania** Morocco have been perennial underachievers at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with their last, and only trophy coming nearly 50 years ago (1976). However, after finishing fourth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and losing just once in their last nine matches (W5, D3) confidence is sky-high, and there is real belief that they could make history in the Ivory Coast. Head coach Walid Regragui considers them "favorites" for the trophy and with just one group-stage defeat since 2012, they anticipate a strong start, especially against Tanzania, whom they've dominated in previous meetings. (W4 L1) Tanzania are making only their third AFCON appearance and are yet to win a single game (L5, D1). They are also coming into this clash with 1 win in their last 6 outings, and against a team of the calibre of Morocco, it is hard to see this game going any other way. Morocco goalkeeper Bono has never conceded in the group stages of the AFCON, so enjoy BetKing’s high odds by backing Morocco to defeat Tanzania without conceding.
**Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea Bissau** Equatorial Guinea shocked the continent with a competent display in a 1-1 draw against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Abidjan. It was their first ever point against Nigeria in an international tournament, whilst also extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to an impressive seven matches (W5, D2). Juan Michá asserted his side deserved to win the match but let their guard down against “high level footballers” when conceding an equaliser just moments after opening the scoring. It was nonetheless a very encouraging performance against a nation many consider favourites to win the tournament. Guinea-Bissau's quest for a maiden AFCON win was prolonged as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their opening game, putting them on course to finish last in their group for the fourth consecutive time (D3, L7). This setback followed a challenging start to the year, after a 6-2 defeat to Mali in a pre-tournament warm-up match earlier this month. Manager Baciro Candé has a tough job ahead of him to rediscover his side’s confidence, having acknowledged after their loss at the weekend that the players struggled to make the most of the opportunities they created. We are backing Equatorial Guinea to follow up their good showing against Nigeria with a win against Guinea-Bissau. Ivan Salvador’s well-taken goal in their opener should fill the team with confidence and our bet of the day is a narrow win. If you remember, [they were also the pick of the bunch in our preview of the “Guinea” teams.](https://m.betking.com/blog/betting-tips/afcon-2023-preview-which-guinea-reigns-supreme/)
**Ivory Coast vs Nigeria** Tournament hosts Ivory Coast made a dream start to AFCON 2023 with a 2-0 win over underdogs Guinea-Bissau. They easily avoided the ignominy of becoming the first host nation to lose their opener in this century and looked like a team full of confidence as they dominated for 90 minutes. Ivorian fans can now dream of becoming the first host nation to lift the trophy since Egypt in 2006, but the Super Eagles lay in wait, looking to derail those aspirations. Jean-Louis Gasset’s side will enter this clash in high spirits, having lost just one of their last 11 matches (W7, D3). They have won their last 4 games by at least 2 goals and kept a clean sheet in 3 of those games. They will face a much tougher task against Nigeria, who were held to a shock 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening game, with only a Victor Osimhen header sparing their blushes. The three-time AFCON winners know anything less than a victory will leave them at risk of dropping out at the group stages of the tournament for the first time since 1982. The all-time H2H record between these two great African nations makes it hard to split, with Nigeria just edged by the smallest of margins (W8, D10, L9), and with none of the last six meetings at an AFCON being settled by greater than a single-goal margin, we could be in for another tight affair. Osimhen is a heavy favourite for the Golden Boot and BetKing has the best odds for him to find the net in a tight affair against the hosts.
**Egypt vs Ghana** The Egyptians needed a 97th-minute Mohamed Salah penalty to avoid defeat in their AFCON opener, stumbling to an underwhelming 2-2 draw against underdogs Mozambique. A sterner test now awaits against Ghana, with the Pharaohs needing a positive result to avoid going into Group B’s deciding game with their fate out of their own hands. Despite Egypt again being favourites here, their last five AFCON games have ended level after 90 minutes. Three of those games ended 0-0, but, after watching Ghana fall flat on their faces in a 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde, the Egyptians must fancy their chances of bouncing back with a win against the Black Stars. It’s hard to believe that Ghana, a nation steeped in footballing history, have not won AFCON since 1982. However, after the shock defeat to Cape Verde, the four-time winners are staring down the barrel of a second successive AFCON group stage elimination. A loss here, coupled with a Cape Verde win over Mozambique, would mean Ghana can't finish in the top two of Group B. However, with four best third-placed spots available for the knockout stage, there's still a slim chance of progress to the knockout round for the Black Stars. Recent AFCON history indicates it might be a daunting task for Chris Hughton’s men as they have lost six of their last ten games at AFCON (L6, W1,D 3) and haven't beaten Egypt in the last four meetings (D1, L3). Take advantage of BetKing’s professional betting tips by backing Egypt to defeat the Black Stars with Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet.
**Senegal vs Cameroon** Defending champions Senegal got their defence off to the perfect start, defeating Gambia 3-0 in their opening fixture, thanks to goals from Pape Gueye and a brace from Lamine Camara. It means the Teranga Lions are in a strong position to qualify from the group and victory here will seal the deal. Cameroon, meanwhile, started their AFCON 2023 journey in underwhelming fashion. They trailed in the first half against Guinea and despite their opponents being reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time, only managed to fight back to a earn a 1-1 draw. Although there is a chance for third-placed sides to go through, defeat here could be costly. The Indomitable Lions won just one of their last 5 games heading into AFCON, and their form is shaky at best. Rigobert Song’s men will be hoping to record a statement win against the defending champions with a result that would represent their first triumph against Senegal since 2005. (W1, L2, D1) The last 6 meetings between these two sides have seen under 2 goals scored per game and our bet of the day is another low-scoring affair, with Senegal claiming victory. Sadio Mane scored the last time the two sides met, a 1-0 victory for Senegal, and we are backing him to do so again.
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