Algeria are still seeking their first win at the Africa Cup of Nations as they face Ivory Coast in their final Group E fixture. The Ivorians have also not been overly convincing in the competition and both teams look set to cancel each other out.
Ivory Coast head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 2-2 draw with Sierra Leone in their previous Group E fixture. They twice took the lead through Sebastien Haller and Nicolas Pepe but were pegged back both times.
The Ivorians have not been particularly convincing in Cameroon but remain unbeaten after two matches. They are currently top of the pool with four points and could finish as group winners with victory on Thursday.
Ivory Coast have impressed going forward with Sebastien Haller, Wilfried Zaha and Nicolas Pepe all showing their quality. However, the result against Sierra Leone points to a defensive vulnerability that could be exploited by bigger teams.
Algeria’s title defence has not gone according to plan as they are without a win or a goal after two matches in Cameroon. They are currently bottom of the Group and must win on Thursday to keep alive their AFCON hopes.
The North Africans are coming off a shock 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in their previous fixture. They had several chances to score in a scrappy encounter and even saw two attempts ruled out.
Despite the defeat, manager Djamel Belmadi will try to look for the positives as Algeria created more chances than in the opening fixture against Sierra Leone. They have plenty of quality in attack with the likes of Islam Slimani and Riyad Mahrez but will need a bit of luck in front of goal.
How the bookies view it
Despite their struggles in Cameroon, Algeria still have the edge among the bookies at 13/10 with Vbet. A victory for Ivory Coast is valued at 2/1 by betway who are also offering odds of 21/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Ivory Coast and Algeria have played out three regulation time draws from four previous meetings. Both teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the quarter-finals of the 2019 AFCON with the Algerians emerging victorious on penalties on their way to winning the title.
Players to watch
Ivory Coast have shown some of their attacking quality in Cameroon with striker Sebastien Haller already off the mark while Wilfried Zaha and Nicolas Pepe have also impressed. All three men can combine to ensure the West Africans get on the score sheet at 52/100 with Vbet.
Algeria are still seeking their first goal in Cameroon but not for a lack of trying as they often look lively in attack. They will still be dependent on the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani and can be tipped to find the net on Thursday at 2/5 with Vbet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Ivory Coast and Algeria have been on target in all four of their previous meetings and both teams could be backed to score at 6/5 with Vbet. The Ivorians saw over 3.5 goals in their previous fixture which is priced at 9/2 with Paddy Power while over 2.5 goals is valued at 13/8 with betway.
This African Nations Cup match between Ivory Coast and Algeria will be played on Jan 20, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ivory Coast vs Algeria prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
