Ivory Coast vs DR Congo
African Nations Cup, KO: 20:00 Feb 7, 2024, Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara
A place in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations is the prize as hosts Ivory Coast battle DR Congo on Wednesday. The Ivorians continue to find ways to eke out results and could be set for something similar in a closely fought semi-final encounter.
Ivory Coast secured a place in the last four of the AFCON after claiming a 2-1 extra-time victory over Mali in the quarter-finals. They looked to be down and out after conceding midway through the second half but Simon Adingra netted a late equaliser before Oumar Diakite grabbed the winner.
It has been one dramatic AFCON campaign for Ivory Coast, who have established a knack for coming back from the dead. They were only minutes from crashing out at the group stage before progressing as one of the third best placed teams, and have required late goals to remain in the knockout stage.
While it has not been a smooth campaign, Ivory Coast will begin to feel they have a date with destiny. However, manager Emerse Fae will need to sort out their defence as the Elephants have conceded in their last four matches.
It was a bit more straightforward for DR Congo in the quarter-final as they eased to a 3-1 victory over Guinea. They fought back from a goal down with efforts from Chancel Mbemba, Yoane Wissa and Arthur Masuaku earning them the win.
It may have been fairly straightforward in the quarter-finals, but DR Congo’s overall campaign in Ivory Coast has been far from smooth. That was their first outright win in the competition having drawn their previous four matches.
Manager Sebastien Desabre will be pleased with the attacking verve shown by DR Congo last time out. However, their defence remains a worry as they have kept just one clean sheet in five matches at the AFCON.
How the bookies view it
Ivory Coast have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for DR Congo is valued at 29/10 by Coral while bet365 is offering odds of 21/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Ivory Coast have a 4-3 advantage with three draws from 10 previous matches against DR Congo. The Ivorians claimed a 3-1 victory in a friendly back in 2019.
Players to watch
Sebastien Haller has impressed off the bench in the last two matches and could be pushing for a start on Wednesday. The Borussia Dortmund striker is due a goal and is priced at 51/20 by 10bet to get on the score sheet.
Yoane Wissa has been the biggest attacking threat for DR Congo and will be the one to watch on Wednesday. The forward has two goals in the competition and is priced 19/4 to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Ivory Coast and DR Congo not particularly solid at the back, both teams could be backed to score at 13/10 with William Hill. The Congolese saw over 3.5 goals last time out and a repeat is priced at 9/2 with Paddy Power while over 2.5 goals is valued at 9/5 with Unibet.
Both teams have had a few late showings in the competition, so the second half could be tipped to produce more goals at 5/4 with William Hill.
This African Nations Cup match between Ivory Coast and DR Congo will be played on Feb 7, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ivory Coast vs DR Congo prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
