Senegal and Guinea square off in their second Group B fixture at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Both teams are looking to build on winning starts to the competition but the Senegalese will be boosted by the return of several key players and should have the edge here.
Senegal were not at their best in their opening fixture as they claimed a hard fought 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe. They struggled to break down their stubborn opponents but eventually found the breakthrough deep into injury time through a Sadio Mane penalty.
The Lions of Teranga are considered one of the favourites to go on and win the tournament and will be keen to quickly find their rhythm. One thing that is likely to be pleasing to manager Alou Cisse is the team’s defensive display as they managed to stifle out the few attacking forays of the Zimbabweans.
That backline is set to get a major boost with the return of captain Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Both men missed the opening fixture after testing positive for COVID-19 and should complete their isolation period before Friday’s clash.
Guinea also made a winning start to their AFCON campaign with a 1-0 victory over Malawi. Like Senegal, they were made to work hard with Issiaga Sylla’s first half effort proving to be the difference.
Manager Kaba Diawara has a talented squad of players, who are expected to progress from the group alongside Senegal. However, they must show some improvement from their opening fixture against Malawi.
One area that could use some improvement for Guinea is in midfield where they could be overrun by a top-quality team. They also appear to suffer from a lack of creativity with Naby Keita seemingly the only creative outlet in the team.
How the bookies view it
Senegal have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/5 by Quinnbet to claim the win. A victory for Guinea is priced at 49/10 by Vbet while SBK is offering odds of 40/17 for a draw.
Head to head
Senegal have an 8-3 advantage with one draw from 12 previous matches against Guinea. The most recent meeting was a two-legged affair in the 2019 Africa Nations Championship qualifiers which the Guineans won on penalties after both teams had claimed 1-0 victories each.
Players to watch
Sadio Mane shoulders much of Senegal’s hopes at the AFCON and carries the team’s attacking threat. The Liverpool forward is already off the mark in the competition and is priced at 2/1 with Vbet.
Senegal are generally tight at the back and their defence is set to get even more solid with the return of Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. They could be tipped to earn a second straight clean sheet in the competition at 4/5 with Skybet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Senegal have opened the scoring in their last two matches across all competitions and could be tipped to grab the first goal on Friday at 4/6 with MansionBet. Given their solid defence, the Lions of Teranga could also be set for a second straight win to nil in Cameroon at 7/5 with Sport Nation.
The Senegalese can also be tipped as the only team to score on Friday at 11/8 with bet365.
This African Nations Cup match between Senegal and Guinea will be played on Jan 14, 2022 and kick off at 13:00. Check below for our tipsters best Senegal vs Guinea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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