Egypt and DR Congo will be looking to continue their progress at the Africa Cup of Nations as they square off in the round of 16. Both teams played out three draws during the group stage, although the Egyptians have experience at this stage of the competition and are expected to kick on with a win on Sunday.
It has not been the smoothest AFCON campaign for Egypt who have struggled to live up to expectations. Rui Vitoria’s men finished second in their group behind surprise package Cape Verde after drawing all three of their matches.
Egypt head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 2-2 draw with Cape Verde in their final Group B fixture. They looked to be on their way to victory following second half goals from Trezeguet and Mostafa Mohamed but went on to concede an injury time equaliser.
Defending has been a major problem for Egypt so far, having conceded two goals in each of their three group stage matches. However, they have also shown some attacking verve with Mostafa Mohamed stepping up following the injury to captain Mohamed Salah.
Dr Congo have a similar record with Egypt having drawn all three of their group stage matches. Sebastien Desabre’s men qualified for the round of 16 after finishing second behind former champions Morocco.
Although DR Congo have scored in two of their three matches at the AFCON, they have not been particularly convincing going forward. That problem was evident in their final group stage fixture as they played out a 0-0 draw with Tanzania.
DR Congo’s performance at the AFCON is an extension of their form in recent times. The Leopards have picked up just one win from their last 10 matches across all competitions, a run stretching back to September.
How the bookies view it
Egypt have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 29/20 by Coral to claim the win. A victory for DR Congo is valued at 49/20 by Unibet while William Hill is offering odds of 21/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Egypt have never lost to DR Congo, claiming five wins and playing out one draw from six previous matches. The Pharaohs picked up a 2-0 victory over their rivals during the 2019 AFCON.
Players to watch
With Mohamed Salah ruled out with injury, Mostafa Mohamed will be the one to watch for Egypt. The striker has three goals in Cote D’Ivoire and is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
DR Congo will be keen to take advantage of Egypt’s defensive problems and will look to Yoane Wissa to provide the spark in attack. The Brentford forward is often a handful with his pace and movement and having scored in the opening fixture, could be backed to find the net once again.
Anything else catch the eye?
Egypt have seen over 3.5 goals in each of their three matches at the AFCON and a similar outcome is priced at 5/1 by BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 7/4 by William Hill, who is also offering odds of 5/4 on both teams to score.
There have been more goals after the break in all of Egypt’s three matches, so the second half could be tipped to be the highest scoring half at 5/4 with bet365.
This African Nations Cup match between Egypt and DR Congo will be played on Jan 28, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Egypt vs DR Congo prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
