Senegal face Egypt in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with both teams looking to go one better this year after falling at the final hurdle in the last two editions. A tight encounter is predicted here but the Senegalese have gotten better as the tournament progressed and should pick up their first AFCON title.
Senegal have been losing finalists several times at the Africa Cup of Nations and are still seeking their first title. They lost to champions Algeria in 2019 but will fancy their chances of going one better as they are unbeaten in this year’s competition.
The Lions of Teranga made a slow start to the AFCON, winning just one of their three group stage matches. However, Alou Cisse’s men have won all their knockout matches in regulation time and booked their place in the final thanks to a 3-1 victory over Burkina Faso in the semis.
After struggling to create chances in the group stage, the goals have flowed freely for Senegal in the knockout stage. Led by the impressive Sadio Mane who has three goals and two assists, the West Africans have found the net eight times in their three knockout matches.
Egypt are also looking to go one better this year after losing to Cameroon in the 2017 AFCON final. They have not been overly impressive in the competition but have come through a difficult rout having overcome the likes of Morocco and Ivory Coast.
The Pharaohs also got some measure of revenge for the 2017 defeat as they overcame Cameroon on penalties in Thursday’s semi-final clash. They rode their luck a few times in regulation times with the hosts twice hitting the woodwork but held on to triumph 3-1 in the penalty shootout.
Although Mohamed Salah has two goals in the competition, Egypt have not shown their full attacking prowess, failing to score in two of their last three matches. Fatigue could also be an issue for Carlos Queiroz’s men, who have gone the full duration plus extra-time in all three knockout matches.
How the bookies view it
Senegal have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 5/4 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for Egypt is valued at 10/3 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 19/10 with SBK.
Head to head
There have been seven previous matches between Senegal and Egypt with both teams claiming three wins each and one draw. However, the Senegalese have won the last two meetings, including a 1-0 victory during the 2015 AFCON qualifiers.
Players to watch
This year’s Africa Cup of Nations final could be billed as the battle of two Liverpool forwards. Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have both impressed in the competition and will be looking to drive their country to glory.
Mane has been involved in five goals for Senegal and with support from the likes of Famara Diedhiou and Bamba Dieng, the West Africans are expected to find the net at 1/3 with Vbet.
Salah also has support from Trezeguet and Omar Marmoush and with all three men likely to feature on Sunday, the Egyptians could be tipped to score at 3/4 with Vbet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Senegal have been solid at the back throughout the competition and have kept clean sheets in four of their six matches. Given Egypt’s struggles in attack, they will be confident of shutting out Salah and keeping another clean sheet at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
If the Senegalese are expected to keep a clean sheet, their quality in attack means a win to nil could also be considered at 41/20 with Unibet. The West Africans could also be tipped as the only team to score at 15/8 with bet365.
This African Nations Cup match between Senegal and Egypt will be played on Feb 6, 2022 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Senegal vs Egypt prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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