ivory coast

Zambia v Ghana and Mali v Ivory Coast is the semi final line up in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting. Zambia were the first team through to the last four, beating the Sudan comfortably 3-0, setting a semi final clash with one of the favourites, Ghana. Ghana needed a lot of work to book their place in the semi finals, as they took on the tricky Tunisia, who were always going to be a handful for them. Ghana, one of the pre tournament favourites needed extra time to get past Tunisia, with Andre Ayew netting in the 101st minute to take the tie. The Black Stars a tight, efficient unit, and generally exert pretty steady control throughout their games. They don’t have the outright flair and attacking force of main rivals Ivory Coast, but they are great at wearing teams down, and break quickly into attack. So Ghana are there in the semi finals and will be favourite to take out Zambia. Zambia have actually come from nowhere to spring this surprise as being a semi finalist. They are the 16th ranked team in the CAF, and 71st in the world, and that is a long way short of world 26 nation Ghana, seeded only behind the Ivory Coast in the CAF rankings. So the expected 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting clash in the final of Ghana v Ivory Coast is still a strong possibility.

Because in the other semi final, we have the tournament favourites, the Ivory Coast squaring off against Mali. Chelsea’s Didier Drogba netted himself a brace, while Yaya Toure finished off the scoring in a 3-0 win over joint hosts Equatorial Guinea in the semi final. That put a stern end to the great exploits of Equatorial Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations, and all credit to them for making it that far. But it has been four wins from four from the Ivory Coast in the tournament now, the only side in the tournament to have achieved that. They will take on Mali, who finished second in their group behind Ghana. Mail lost 2-0 against Ghana in the group stage, and with the Ivory Coast looking stronger than Ghana, we should see Didier Drogba and co move through to the final as expected. Mali struggled past Gabon in their quarter final match, needing a penalty shoot out to get past the joint host nation. So the Ivory Coast will be heavy favourites to move ahead, as well as taking the title in 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting. They haven’t conceded a single goal in the event yet, and even if they meet Ghana in the final, well, it may be about how long the more sedate Ghanaians may be able to hold out.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Betting
Ivory Coast: 5/6 at SkyBet
Ghana: 2/1 at Boylesports
Zambia: 9/1 at BetFair
Mali: 9/1 at William Hill

Online bookmaker BetFred have a good promotion running for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. If any match at the tournament ends in a 0-0 draw, then the popular bookie will refund any losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Double result bet placed on that match. So good bit of coverage for your 2012 Africa Cup of Nations match betting. Granted there hasn’t been a 0-0 result in the tournament so far, but at the tight semi final and final stage, it’s worth taking that coverage. BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50 with a free bet.

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting has taken some pretty unexpected twist and turns during the tournament, and now with the competition at the quarter final stage, are we headed for an expected final, or a big surprise. The two big guns of the tournament, the Ivory Coast and Ghana are safely through to the quarter finals. The Ivory Coast comfortably rattled off three wins from three in their group stage without even conceding a goal, and they remain strong favourites for the title. The Ivory Coast take on joint host nation Equatorial Guinea, who have been thrilling the home crowds with their exploits. After opening with a famous win over Libya, Equatorial Guinea proved that that was no fluke at all, when they went out and beat one of the hotly tipped dark horses, Senegal, thanks to a late injury time winner. Although Equatorial Guinea lost to group winner Zambia, they had done enough to get through against the odds. Now they have been rewarded with a great clash against the Ivory Coast. The joint host nation of course will be underdogs for that match, but they will enjoy their underdog role and no doubt give a very colourful account of themselves. The Ivory Coast though remain strong favourites to take the title, trading at a market best price of 11/8 with Bet365 in 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting.

Online bookmaker BetFred are running a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting promotion for their punters to enjoy. If any African Nations match happens to end up in a 0-0 draw (in 90 minutes of play) then the highly popular bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Double Result bets placed on the match prior to kick off. So this is pretty good coverage on your Africa Cup of Nations betting from BetFred. The online bookie offers a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account as well. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50.

Second favourites Ghana, who topped their group with two wins and a draw, have a tougher looking quarter final match as they take on Tunisia. Ghana, the Black Stars, have been putting out their usual efficient and effective football, getting the job done without any fuss or bother. There should be more to come from them hopefully, but they will take on a tricky Tunisia side. Tunisia won both of their opening group matches 2-1, which included a victory over the fancied Morocco. Although they couldn’t make it three wins out of three, going down to Gabon in their final group match, Tunisia had done enough to secure their place in the quarter finals. They should be able to give Ghana a good game, and it should be a closely ran thing, and is probably not going to be as open as the Ivory Coast v Equatorial Guinea. But Ghana, who are 11/4 at Bet365 in 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting to win the title are pretty tight and solid at the back, and have pace breaking forward. They will be expected to move ahead to the semi finals, and the projected Africa Cup of Nations Final match of Ghana v Ivory Coast is still on the cards.

So it has been a strange Africa Cup of Nations betting fiesta this year. Top teams like Cameroon and Egypt never even made it through qualifying, and the joint host nations, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon find themselves at the quarter final stage, at the expense of higher ranked teams like Morocco, Libya and Senegal. Gabon actually are trading very well in the betting, after rattling off three wins from three in their group stage, and the highest scoring team to qualify for the knockouts.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Quarter Final Betting
Zambia 5/6, Draw 5/2, Sudan 22/5 at Bet365
Ivory Coast 4/9, Draw 7/2, Equatorial Guinea 9/1 at SkyBet
Gabon Evens, Draw 12/5, Mali 18/5 at BetVictor
Ghana Evens, Draw 12/5, Tunisia 10/30 at BetFair

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Outright Winner Betting
Ivory Coast: 11/8 at BetFred
Ghana: 11/4 at Bet365
Gabon: 13/2 at SportingBet
Zambia: 12/1 at Boylesports
Tunisia: 14/1 at Stan James
Mali: 25/1 at SkyBet
Equatorial Guinea: 50/1 at Bwin
Sudan: 80/1 at Stan James

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting starts this month in January, and the continental fiesta of top African football should thrill and delight once again. As usual, there will  be an exodus from the Premier League of the top African players, such as Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Manchester City’s Yaya Toure. The Africa Cup of Nations is held every two years, and this year we have the 28th edition of the tournament. This time around, the sixteen competing teams will be heading to joint co-hosts Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in their bids for the top honours. There is still some confusion over whether or not Burkina Faso will be taking their place, as they have been challenged by Namibia, who allege that Burkina Faso field an ineligible player in the qualifying matches.

There are some surprising absentees from the tournament this time around. Initially Togo were banned from taking part the 2012 and the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, because they pulled out of the 2010 event after their team bus was fatally attacked. However, Sepp Blatter mediated them back into the qualifying tournament for 2012, but they failed to get out of their group. Nigeria are also not in attendance after failing to qualify. Initially they weren’t going to be in the qualifying tournament anyway, because their own President, Goodluck Jonathan banned his country from international football for two years after a disappointing 2010 World Cup.  That ban was lifted through by the Nigerian Government. South Africa are also another team who failed to make the continental finals. Like Nigeria, they could only manage one win during qualification, meaning that they missed out on the finals. Perhaps most surprisingly of all though, was Egypt’s failure to get to the finals. This is the big shock story really of qualification, because Egypt have won the last three Africa Cup of Nations, and their failure to appear at the finals leaves something of a big gap. Cameroon is another big African footballing nation who have failed to make it through to the finals this time around, firmly suggesting some shifts in power as the rest of the country catches up.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Dates
Group Stage: January 21st to February 1st
Quarter Finals: February 4th and 5th
Semi Finals: February 8th
Third Place: February 11th
Final: February 12th

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Betting Favourites
So the favourites heading into 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting are the powerhouses Ivory Coast and Ghana. The Ivory Coast have only managed to pick up the Africa Cup of Nations once in their history, way back in 1992, which is surprising given all their talent on offer. They reached the final in 2006 but lost on a penalty shoot out to Egypt, and finished fourth in the 2008 edition of the tournament. Didier Drogba, Salmon Kalou and Arsenal’s Gervinho will appear up front for the favourites, along with Newcastle’s Cheik Ismael Tiote, Man City’s Yaya and Kolo Toure, Leicester’s Souleymane Bamba and former Arsenal player Emmanuel Eboue. So familiar names will be taking the field for the Ivory Coast, who are expected to go on and win the event this time around.
Ghana meanwhile are taking a strong squad with them, and the Black Stars, who have won the tournament four times in their history, will be doing it without Chelsea star Michael Essien. The Black Stars have a new coach in place, with Goran Stevanovic guiding them through his first major tournament in charge, but they look to be a good young side, which should push hard for the title. They are not recognized as being quite as strong as the Ivory Coast, but Ghana always play pretty tight, neat football wherever they go. They lack the firepower and overall class of Ivory Coast, but are a very good, hard working team with an excellent Africa Cup of Nations pedigree which will make people sit up and notice them. Ghana are the second ranked team in the CAF, just ahead of Algeria and Egypt. With the set up of the draw as it is, the two big guns, the Ivory Coast and Ghana will likely be kept apart until the final of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Name the Finalists Bet: Ghana/Ivory Coast 2/1 at BetFair.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Betting Contenders
Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia are the main chasing contenders to the outright favourites of the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Morocco saw off the challenge of Algeria and the Central African Republic in their qualification group, and lost just one of their six matches. More impressively, Morocco look very good at the back, conceding just two goals and will therefore not doubt cause opposition problems. Morocco, ranked 12th in the CAF could spring an upset, but a more likely and genuine threat is going to come from the colourful Senegal. Senegal, ranked 6th in the CAF simply blazed through their qualification group, and are flying under the radar just a little bit in terms of taking the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. However, they have a pretty prolific strike force and like Morocco are very good at the back. Senegal held off Cameroon by five points in their qualifying group to qualify for the finals. They will be a great outside bet to take a look at. As for Tunisia, well we have seen them on the world stage often enough, and are usually stubborn and competitive. However, they only qualified for the finals as a runner up in their group, after failing to top Botswana in their qualification group. They should be there or thereabouts in the latter stages of the tournament though. A little bit of a dark horse, more of a threat than Morocco but probably not quite as much of one as Senegal is going to be.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Outsiders
We have to be taking a look at Libya in 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they went through the entire of 2011 unbeaten, and while they only made the finals as one of the best two runners up from the entire qualification process, they should have a lot to offer. They are tight at the back, not prolific up front, but will probably scrape their way through matches and make a real nuisance of themselves. If Burkina Faso make it, they have shown a great bit of grit as well. Like Libya, they would more than likely battle through drawn matches but still, if the Ivory Coast and Ghana slip up somewhere down the line, then the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations betting is going to be extremely wide open. A really long shot on Mali to go deep in the tournament isn’t a bad shout either. Big potential dark horses there.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group Betting

Group A
Equatorial Guinea: 9/1 at Bwin
Libya: 6/1 at William Hill
Senegal: 5/12 at Bwin
Zambia: 11/2 at BetFair
Prediction: Looks like a pretty even group. Would back Senegal to take top spot though, and will suggest that Libya will turn up and take second place.

Group B
Ivory Coast: 1/4 at Bwin
Sudan: 20/1 at 188Bet
Burkina Faso: 7/1 at William Hill
Angola: 7/1 at BetFair
Prediction: The Ivory Coast have let themselves down at times in this competition, can’t foresee any problems here. The race will be for second place. If Burkina Faso play, would back them, if not, plump for Angola.

Group C
Gabon: 7/2 at William Hill
Niger: 11/1 at Bwin
Morocco: 13/8 at William Hill
Tunisia: 8/5 at BetFair
Prediction: Probably the most competitive group and the expected route it will take will be a scrap between Morocco and Tunisia for the top spots. Wouldn’t fully discount Gabon messing things up, but would back the initial two, Tunisia being the stronger.

Group D
Ghana: 8/11 at William Hill
Botswana: 14/1 at Bwin
Mali: 2/1 at 188Bet
Guinea: 8/1 at Bwin
Prediction: If Ghana doesn’t win this group, then we will be in for a very interesting tournament. They should take top spot and would just back Mali to join them. There could be some great surprises to come from Mali.

CAF Rankings (World Rankings in Brackets)
1st Ivory Coast (16th)
2nd Ghana (29th)
3rd Algeria (30th)
4th Egypt (31st)
5th Nigeria (43rd)
6th Senegal (44th)
7th Cameroon (50th)

2012 Africa Cup Of Nations Outright Winner Odds
Ivory Coast: 7/4 at Stan James
Ghana: 5/1 at William Hill
Senegal: 7/1 at Totesport
Morocco: 9/1 at Blue Square
Tunisia: 10/1 at Bet365
Mali: 20/1 at Boylesports
Burkina Faso: 28/1 at Coral
Gabon: 33/1 at Bwin
Libya: 40/1 at SkyBet
Zambia: 50/1 at Bet365
Angola: 50/1 at VC Bet
Guinea: 80/1 at 888Sport
Sudan: 80/1 at Stan James
Equatorial Guinea: 125/1 at Stan James
Botswana: 125/1 at Paddy Power
Niger: 150/1 at Stan James

Topscorer Betting – 2012 Africa Cup of Nations

Online bookmaker Bet365 have their great football betting coverage for the Africa Cup of Nations, thanks to their 0-0 Bore Draw Special. If any game listed on their site ends in a 0-0 draw, then the bookie will refund any losing Correct Score, Scorecast or Half Time/Full Time bets placed on the match. So great coverage on alternative markets for your football match betting with the highly recommended online bookmaker. Bet365 offer a free £200 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit with a 100% welcome bonus, giving you a great amount of free betting cash to enjoy on your new account.

Portugal Threat Bigger Than Just Cristiano Ronaldo

Enter Cristiano Ronaldo to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is fair to say that we could see a major improvement in the quality of dead ball deliveries when Portugal kick off against the Ivory Coast on Tuesday. This is probably the biggest clash in the first round of opening group matches, as these are two strong teams, scrapping for supremacy in the race to keep tags on Brazil in the group. A loss in this opening fixture could spell disaster in such as tough group, with both having obviously having to still play the South Americans. Hopefully this should turn out to be the best match of the opening games, with both teams needing to go for the jugular, but with both teams having their vulnerabilities. Neither side are particularly consistent, and neither have been able to stand up and say that they have made best use of the resources available to them. Portugal struggled through qualification, and while Cristiano Ronaldo did miss a lot of the matches through injury, it could highlight just how much the nation relies upon his heroics. Yes, he is a World Class player, that is not in doubt, and once he had returned from injury, he started to really shine for his new club Real Madrid by banging in the goals. Can he elevate Portugal, who have climbed up to third in the FIFA World Rankings, after a reshuffle of the points system.

That came as something of a surprise, as there are better teams around than Portugal. Do Portugal need Cristiano Ronaldo to carry them? Well, the fact that Ronaldo himself came out and said that in order for them to succeed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup they would need more than just the handful of star players which they have to perform, points to the reasoning that they do. Ronaldo called for his team mates and unsung heroes to stand up and play their part, and not rely solely on him. Portugal have already lost Manchester United winger Nani through injury, and A Selecção das Quinas need to show the same battling qualities which they displayed over the latter half of qualification. After winning just one of their five opening matches, Portugal suddenly plugged the holes in their back line, and rediscovered their scoring touch. OK, it was not a spectacular turn around, but the fight that Carlos Queiroz’s men displayed in getting over the line, was admirably, if not pretty. Their troubles in actually getting to the World Cup finals will probably mean that a lot of people underestimate them. Being drawn in a group along with Brazil and the Ivory Coast won’t have helped much, but Portugal have more to offer than their early qualification form showed.

With an impressive build up to South Africa 2010, Portugal could be peaking at the right time, now having won their last eight matches. During that run, they have conceded just one goal. So should the Portuguese be worth looking at in a little more depth for your World Cup Betting? Absolutely. They are no slouches, and on the day, they should have more confidence and team mentality than the Ivory Coast. They seem to have gotten over whatever slump was bothering them, and have found their consistency. They really could be ones to watch out for, and while they are out at 33/1 at Bet365 to win the tournament, that could shorten dramatically if they beat the Ivory Coast. The trouble is, if they cannot get the better of Brazil in the group, then the second placed team from Group G will go up against the winner of Group H, which is likely to be Spain. But with a great defensive record at the moment, which may surprise a lot of people, Portugal could be primed and ready to take them on. Let’s not forget, Portugal reached the semi’s in 2006. But for now, they will need to continue their fine form and take out the Ivory Coast, who are being coached by a familiar fellow.

Sven Goran-Eriksson The Missing Link?

Yes, Sven is back at the World Cup. After leading England through two disappointing campaigns, Eriksson was drafted in at a late stage to coach the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. This came about after a poor African Cup of Nations, which they were expected to win, which resulted in the firing of their head coach. So, the nation went for the experience of Eriksson, even though he seemed to be a strange choice, considering the strengths of the Elephants, and Eriksson’s philosophy towards the game. Eriksson is a cautious chap, as most England fans will tell you, and that is a bit of a departure from the free flowing attacking game which the Ivory Coast like to play. What can be said in Eriksson’s defence, is that the Ivory Coast have not had any great success with their style, and perhaps it is time to change. But Eriksson has not had a lot of time to stamp his authority over the side, and picked a predictable 23 man squad to take with him. He may have to cede some ground, and use the players which he has at his disposal in the best way that suits them, and that may mean relinquishing the reins a bit, a letting the natural Ivory Coast way shine through, and perhaps just glossing it over with his defensive and economical tactics.

It is considered a Golden Generation for the Ivory Coast, as their current squad has been together for quite some time. It is a pretty tough first competitive match for Eriksson to take the helm for though, as the stakes really could not be higher. He will know Portugal well, after England lost at both the 2006 World Cup, and the 2004 European Championships to the Portuguese. The big question on everyone’s mind, is will Didier Drogba play? The Ivory Coast talisman was injured in a warm up ahead of South Africa 2010, fracturing his arm, and no-one is sure if he will be able to play or not. The Chelsea man is with the Ivory Coast squad, and has been attending training. The decision will probably be left to the last minute by Eriksson, if for no other reason than to keep Portugal guessing. Will it be third time a charm for Eriksson against Portugal in recent times? He has some good players on his side, capable of winning, but has he had enough time to bring those players together as a team? That has always been the one criticism of the Ivory Coast, they have star players who look good on paper, but not so good on the pitch. See here for more on Ivory Coast v Portugal.

Portugal v Ivory Coast Odds and Stats

Ivory Coast 2, Japan 0
Paraguay 2, Ivory Coast 2
Korea Republic 2, Ivory Coast 0
Ivory Coast 2, Algeria 2
Ivory Coast 3, Ghana 1

Portugal 3, Mozambique 0
Portugal 3, Cameroon 1
Portugal 2, China 0
Bosnia 0, Portugal 1
Portugal 1, Bosnia 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Ivory Coast: 9 For, 7 Against
Portugal: 10 For, 1 Against

Recent Stats:
Ivory Coast: P37, W13, D12, L12 with a 35.1% win percentage
Portugal: P50, W28, D12, L10 with a 56.0% win percentage

World Cup Stats
Ivory Coast: P3, W1, D0, L2, GF5, GA6
Portugal: P19, W11, D1, L7, GF32, GA21

Last 10 Match Form:
Ivory Coast: DDDDDWDLDW
Portugal: DDWWWWWWWW

Match Odds
Portugal to win: 5/4 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at BetFred
Ivory Coast to win: 13/5 at Totesport

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Could be a close game, but nonetheless it seems as if Portugal should have enough to edge it. There is a huge amount at stake on this match, so we could see a cautious start by both side. The best prices would be giving Ivory Coast at least a goal advantage, but Portugal +0.25 for 2/5 at Bet365 is decent value on a safe bet.

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!
 
Group games don’t get any more exciting than Ivory Coast v Portugal on 15th June, with both teams looking to secure the three points ahead of other Group G matches against Brazil and North Korea. Here at soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk, we have £500 in free bets to give away to those who can predict the correct outcome in this match, courtesy of our friends at William Hill.

Somebody has to win a first prize of £150, while there are nine other prizes between £10 and £100 for those that are also correct with their prediction. In order to get your hands on some free cash, simply take the following steps:

1) Sign up at William Hill by clicking on this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with William Hill”. You should include the following details:

- Your Ivory Coast v Portugal prediction (Ivory Coast win, Portugal win or draw)
- Your William Hill username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 2.55pm on 15th June, which is five minutes before the match kicks off. One lucky participant will be walking away with a first prize of £150 for getting the outcome right – will it be you?

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

The Quarter Finals of the African Cup of Nations start on Sunday, with two of the pre-tournament favourites in action. The African Cup of Nations, marred by the terrible attack on the Togo team bus, has managed to turn towards the positive, and live up to expectations by providing some thrilling footballing action. Right from the opening match which finished in an exhilarating 4-4 draw, there has been plenty of action to enjoy, largely fuelled by some upsets. The Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana have all had their difficult matches, with Egypt looking by far the strongest team in the competition so far.

Angola v Ghana
The first of the Quarter Final Matches on Sunday, sees host nation Angola, who won their group, play Michael Essien’s Ghana. Sadly though Essien has been ruled out of action for about six weeks after picking up an injury during training, and that has just compounded the injury problems which the nation has. They are fielding a largely young side, with so many players sitting on the sidelines. While the can’t field their strongest side, they will probably take positives that their back up players are getting some action and experience ahead of the 2010 World Cup later in the year. If they can field a full side there, they should be a handful for any team. Fortunately this draw has been kind to them, and they have a great chance to progress against Angola.
Angola to win: 6/4 at SkyBet
Draw: 11/5 at Totesport
Ghana: 12/5 at Bet365

Ivory Coast v Algeria
This should be a banker for Didier Drogba and his Ivory Coast side. They had a slow start to the competition, where they only managed a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso, but their strong victory over Ghana ensured that they progressed. Many believe that this is the time for the Ivory Coast to come good, having had a consistent team for the past few years. This really does represent their best chance of lifting the trophy. Their opponents Algeria really haven’t shown anything of note in the tournament, and have only managed one goal. If Fabio Capello has been studying the tapes, he will be confident that they are not going to cause any kind of surprise threat at the World Cup where they are in the same group as England.
Ivory Coast to win: 4/6 at BetFred
Draw: 11/4 at Bet365
Algeria: 5/1 at Coral

Egypt v Cameroon
The Egyptians, who somehow didn’t qualify for the World Cup against what appears to be a much weaker Algeria side, are looking in red hot form. They are the current African Cup of Nations champions, after upsetting Cameroon in the final of the last competition. Now Cameroon have a chance at revenge, but to be honest, they haven’t been as good as had hoped really. They have struggled for fluency and consistency, losing to Gabon and struggled to beat Zambia after going behind, and then could only manage a 2-2 draw against Tunisia. Not in great form, but still a serious threat if they can get their act together. Unfortunately, by them not winning their group, they have landed themselves a very tough quarter final draw.
Egypt to win: 17/11 at Expekt
Draw: 9/4 at Totesport
Cameroon to win: 2/1 at Ladbrokes

Zambia v Nigeria
Zambia, surprise winners of the group, after coming from bottom to top after the last round of group matches, will now fancy their chances against Nigeria. The Nigeria that are playing here, are not of the same quality as which some will remember from World Cup’s past. They simply have fallen a long way back from that sort of quality, and that will give Zambia some good heart to make it through to the last four of the competition. Their last group match victory over Gabon saw them steal top spot in the group, but Nigeria, who seriously got given a football lesson by Egypt in their group, will be favourite. They bounced back well after that and should on paper be stronger than Zambia. The winners of this match will play either Angola or Ghana, so there is even more incentive to progress, as they’ll avoid Egypt and Ivory Coast until the final.
Zambia to win: 4/6 at Coral
Draw: 13/5 at SportingBet
Zambia to win: 5/1 at Stan James

*Note that “Draw” will usually represent the score at the end of 90 minutes of play. As this is a knock-out stage, drawn matches will go to extra time and then penalties.

The African Cup of Nations is rapidly heading towards the Quarter Final stages, with Sunday’s two matches already lined up. As expected, the Ivory Coast and the injury stricken Ghana are through, while England’s World Cup 2010 opponents Algeria have managed to qualify from their group. Algeria, in all honesty, have not looked like any kind of threat throughout their group stage matches at all, and come the big tournament in South Africa in June, England should not have too much to worry about.

Algeria finish on level points with Mali, but qualified in second spot, simply because they won the head to head battle against Mali, who they defeated 1-0. Mali may be feeling a little hard done by, as they were at least entertaining in front of goal, hitting seven in their three matches. How many did Algeria score? Just the one in three games, but it proved to be a crucial one. Now we will see how they fare against the tournament favourites, Ivory Coast, and it will give a good indication of just what level they are at.

Ironically, the team which Algeria beat in the World Cup Qualifying Play-Off, Egypt, have looked one of, if not the, strongest team in the tournament, and have produced far better quality than what Algeria have. The current holders do pose a real threat to Ivory Coast’s hopes, as they look good enough to go and reclaim the title. Egypt won their group easily, by three victories from their three matches. In their somewhat abridged group after Togo‘s withdrawal, the Ivory Coast finished top ahead of Ghana. Both of those fancied teams though, did struggle to get a result against stubborn Burkina Faso, with Ghana’s 1-0 victory over them, enough to get them through. Ghana, who are missing a lot of first team choices, got hit with further bad news, when Chelsea’s Michael Essien was ruled out for the rest of the tournament through injury.

But Ghana’s reward for their triumph over Burkina Faso, is a quarter final tie against host nation Angola. Angola won their group, looking very entertaining for both good and bad reason, ahead of Algeria. Not even the fancied Cameroon have been producing to their expected level, and some of the performances by the top African teams, will have cast a little doubt over how competitive they just may be at South Africa 2010.

In Group 4, the last one to be settled, Cameroon’s defeat in their first game to the Gabon, means that there is the potential of them playing Egypt if they finish as runners up in their group. If Cameroon can get ahead of the Gabon in the final round of group matches, then they will have the slightly easier task against Nigeria. Cameroon had to scrape out a 3-2 win over Zambia in their second match, so just a point in their final match against Tunisia, who have looked surprisingly dull, will get them through to the Quarter Finals.

January 21 Group Matches
Cameroon to win: 10/11 at BetFred
Draw: 13/5 at Stan James
Tunisia to win: 15/4 at Stan James

Gabon to win: 8/5 at Expekt
Draw: 9/4 at Boylesports
Zambia to win: 2/1 at Stan James

January 24th Quarter Finals
Angola to win: 17/10 at ExtraBet
Draw: 9/4 at Coral
Ghana to win: 13/8 at Blue Square

Ivory Coast to win: 11/17 at Bwin
Draw: 11/4 at 888Sport
Algeria to win: 9/2 at SportingBet

African Cup of Nations Outright Winner
Ivory Coast – 2/1 at ExtraBet
Egypt – 4/1 at Extrabet
Cameroon – 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Nigera – 8/1 at Totesport
Ghana – 9/1 at Ladbrokes

The African Cup of Nations, after its tragic start involving the withdrawal of Togo, has been throwing up some interesting results so far. It is still early days in the competition, but the majority of the major powerhouses have really yet to show their hands. The tournament started with a fantastic match involving Angola and Mali which ended in a four-all draw, with Mali netting four times in the last twelve minutes to rescue an incredibly unlikely draw. That perfectly set the tone for some exciting football for the early stage of the round of group matches. The second day of the tournament produced a double surprise. England’s World Cup 2010 opponents Algeria were played off the park in a 3-0 defeat by little fancied Malawi. If the England management were watching that game, they would not see too much to fear. Their subsequent 1-0 win over Mali would not have done much to inspire their hopes for making an impression at the World Cup 2010.

The Ivory Coast, favourites for the tournament due to their skill and experience, didn’t get their campaign off to an ideal start either. The Ivory Coast have had pretty much the same team for the past three African Cup of Nation tournaments, and combined with the world class players they have, are fancied to take the title this year. This surely should be their time. But they need to step up a gear as well, as they could only manage a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso, who pretty much defended all of the match, but still, the worrying thing for the Ivory Coast, is that they could not find a way to break down the defence. With Togo withdrawing from their Group, the Ivory Coast needed to approach their match with Ghana with victory in mind to ensure their progression in the tournament.

Ghana should be a much stronger team than they are, and are having to field a relatively young side. With so many players missing through injury, it is a bit of a makeshift team, which doesn’t really represent their chances of making a big impression at the World Cup. Still, they gave the Ivory Coast a good game. After a slow start and falling behind one nil to a slick counter attack from the Ivory Coast, Ghana did respond really well, stringing some nice fluent plays together. They couldn’t however sustain enough pressure after the break to get back into the game, and the Ivory Coast ran out 3-1 winners with Chelsea’s Drogba netting in the 90th minute. They did suffer one casualty though, with Arsenal Emmanuel Eboue being sent off. But the victory sees them as the first team through to the quarter finals.

Egypt have been the most impressive so far. The current title holders breezed past Nigeria 3-1, showing that they really mean business. They are probably worth an each way bet, because they are good enough to get to the final, and they have bugged the Ivory Coast in the previous two tournaments by knocking them out, so they have good history there against this year’s fancied team. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises too, came in Cameroon’s opening match against the Gabon. Bear in mind that Cameroon is expected to be as much of a force in the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations as the Ivory Coast are. They suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Gabon. The Cameroon side will now need to pick up at least a victory against Zambia or Tunisia to get through.

So, sort of at the half way mark of the group stage matches, Group A is all to play for, with hosts Angola giving a good account of themselves at the top of the group, closely pursued by Malawi and Algeria. The Ivory Coast, with their victory over Ghana are looking in good position to reach the quarter finals, and Ghana now need to beat Burkina Faso to get through. Egypt should run out comfortable winners of Group C, while Gabon lead the way in Group D. The next round of matches in the group should sort things out, and everything could be really tight, or both Tunisia and Cameroon could be out at this early stage.

Forthcoming group stage matches to look out for in the African Cup of Nations is the Cameroon v Zambia clash on the 17th, and Angola v Algeria on the 18th.

African Cup of Nations Outright Winner:
Ivory Coast – 13/5 at Stan James
Egypt – 9/2 at BetFred
Cameroon – 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Ghana – 9/1 at Ladbrokes
Nigeria – 12/1 at SkyBet

Selected Match Prices
Cameroon to win: 8/15 at Coral
Draw: 10/3 at Totesport
Zambia to win: 6/1 at Bet365

Angola to win: 7/5 at Totesport
Draw: 9/4 at Coral
Algeria to win: 39/19 at Expekt

Despite all the tragic surroundings involving the Togo team ahead of the African Cup of Nations, the tournament is still pressing ahead, with its opening game on Sunday between hosts Angola and Mali. The events may be a little overshadowed by the horrific scenes at the border, on which gunfire fatally opened up on the Togo team bus, which has led to the Togo team withdrawing from the competition. They would have opened their account against Ghana on Monday, but it is not to be. The tournament pressing ahead, seems to be a positive move in the face of adversity. It would be all too easy to cancel everything, but, as the old axiom goes, the show must go on. While a lot of thought will spared for the victims involved, positivity comes from moving on and the tournament now has a big chance to unite everyone.

Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast will be strong favourites to lift the cup, and the draw has thrown together in a group with team mate Michael Essien’s Ghana, though in Group B. They place a nice style of football, and with Togo’s withdrawal, it leaves them and the Ivory Coast as clear favourites to qualifying, with Burkina Faso being the only other team. The African Cup of Nations does provide some great football, and hopefully it will not just be remembered as the tournament which Togo pulled out of for tragic reasons. The colourful Cameroon side will be entertaining and dangerous as well, and they should have a comfortable qualification from group D, with on Tunisia who should be able to challenge them.

While a winner of the tournament is not going to come from Group A, which includes the hosts Angola, Egypt and Nigeria square off in Group C, which should be entertaining. Egypt are the current holders of the African Cup of Nations trophy, and will be looking for a big tournament again, seeing as how they have nothing to do in the summer, after losing out on qualification to the World Cup to bitter rivals Algeria. Algeria are of course, in England’s World Cup 2010 group, and it will be a good chance to assess the unknown quantity, and there will be members of the England management watching them at some point (though it won’t be Fabio Capello himself).

So who to look at when making a bet? Well, this will depend on whether you like betting on favourites or not. To be honest, looking at the state of affairs for the African Cup of Nations, there doesn’t appear to be an outright favourite, but there are three teams which are on a very close par. No surprises that they are the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon. There are World Class players on show for all of them, with a lot of players from Europe, including the Premier League. If anything, the draw is going to heavily favour Ghana and Ivory Coast, because they will have to play their quarter final matches against the teams from the weakest group, Group A. That should influence things a bit, and while smart money will probably go on Ivory Coast, look for good prices on Ghana and Cameroon, even if they are each way bets.

African Cup of Nations Outright Winner:
Ivory Coast – 9/4 at SkyBet
Cameroon – 11/2 at SkyBet
Ghana – 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Nigeria – 17/2 at Expekt
Egypt – 9/1 at William Hill

While the snowy weather will see many matches postponed in England throughout January, there should be no such problems in Angola, where the 27th African Cup of Nations will take place. While many Premier League managers would describe this tournament as nothing more than an inconvenience, there’s no denying that this is a vibrant competition featuring many of the world’s best footballers. It’s also an opportunity to check out several of the teams who will be lining up at the 2010 World Cup, although here are a few pointers when it comes to placing your bets on the ANC.

1)    The host nation tends to do well

Home advantage shouldn’t be underestimated in Angola, especially when you consider that every host nation has qualified for the knockout stages since 1992. Furthermore, since the biennial competition began in 1957, there have only been four occasions when the team playing on home soil hasn’t reached the semi-finals. Benfica’s Pedro Mantorras is a classy striker who can certainly help them on their way out of Group A, while former Manchester United forward Manucho should also be a force to be reckoned with. While we shouldn’t place too much pressure on a team that’s just emerged from a civil war, it’s worth noting that Tunisia (2004) and Egypt (2006) both won the competition recently as hosts.

2)    Egypt have won the last two renewals

While Egypt winning the tournament on home soil in 2006 was a great achievement, it was even more impressive when they successfully defended their crown two years later. While the Pharaohs controversially missed out on a World Cup place after losing in a play-off to Algeria, it might make them all the more determined to win this tournament and complete a hat-trick. Although Mido and Amr Zaki will not be featuring for the Egyptians this time around, the team have a quality striker in Mohamed Zidan, while former Spurs midfielder Hossam Ghaly will bring plenty of experience.

3)    There should be plenty of goals scored

While many people associate the ANC as a competition featuring low-scoring matches, this trend was bucked in 2008 and there’s every reason to suggest that the goals will be flying in this time around. Of the 32 matches played two years ago, 19 featured three goals or more, with five of the six Ivory Coast games involving Over 2.5 Goals. While Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou offer plenty in attack, the Cote D’Ivoire are also vulnerable at the back.

The Ivory Coast are currently favourites (5/2 Stan James) to win the 2010 African Cup of Nations, although the market leaders will have to cope with high expectations and their last triumph came along in 1992. Two victories and one runner-up place in the past five tournaments suggest that Cameroon (11/2 Sporting Bet) might be a better bet at twice the odds, especially with the excellent Samuel Eto’o leading the line.