Senegal will be looking to improve on their group stage performance as they face Cape Verde in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16. Both teams have had goalscoring problems but Senegal's experience in the competition should help them over the line.
Tipped as one of the favourites to go on and win the AFCON, Senegal have been far from their best at this year’s competition. They claimed just one win from their three Group B matches but still finished top of their group.
Senegal’s only win in Cameroon came in their opening fixture as they went on to draw their subsequent two matches. Their last outing in the group stage was a 0-0 draw with Malawi which means they are now unbeaten in their last nine matches, stretching back to before the AFCON.
One problem that has plagued Senegal under manager Alou Cisse is a lack of cutting edge in attack having found the net just once in Cameroon. However, one positive is that they have remained solid at the back and are yet to concede a goal at this year’s AFCON.
Cape Verde reached the round of 16 of the AFCON after finishing as one of the best third placed teams. They claimed just one win from their three first round matches to finish behind hosts Cameroon and Burkina Faso in Group A.
Like Senegal, Cape Verde have failed to secure a win since their opening match of the competition. However, manager Bubista will look to take confidence from their 1-1 draw with the hosts in their final group fixture.
Another similarity with the West Africans is the lack of cutting edge in attack as Cape Verde found the net just twice from their three group stage matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Senegal as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 13/20 by Unibet. A victory for Cape Verde is valued at 27/4 by MansionBet while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 with Quinnbet.
Head to head
Senegal have won all four previous matches against Cape Verde and claimed a 2-0 victory in a friendly last March.
Players to watch
Sadio Mane remains the biggest attacking threat for Senegal and has scored their only goal in the competition. The Liverpool forward was also on target the last time they faced Cape Verde and is priced at 19/10 by betway to get on the score sheet.
Senegal have shown their quality at the other end of the pitch and are yet to concede a goal in Cameroon. Given the physical presence of Kalidou Koulibaly at the back and the calming influence of Edouard Mendy in goal, they will be confident of keeping another clean sheet at 7/10 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Senegal won to nil the last time they faced Cape Verde and could be set for a repeat at 6/5 with BetVictor. Given their solid defence, the West Africans could be tipped as the only team to score on Tuesday at 21/20 with bet365.
This African Nations Cup match between Senegal and Cape Verde will be played on Jan 25, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Senegal vs Cape Verde prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
