Football supporters have been blessed with the Copa America and the Africa Cup of Nations this summer. With the former competition done and dusted, punters will be focusing mainly on Africa’s elite international tournament ahead of the 2019/20 domestic campaign.
Senegal are the 6/4 favourites to win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and lots of punters will fancy Aliou Cisse’s side to lift the trophy for the first time. Standing in their way in the semi-finals is a spirited Tunisia outfit though and that has all the makings of an exciting affair.
The second semi-final sees Algeria do battle with Nigeria. Algeria had won four Africa Cup of Nations matches in a row without conceding a goal prior to their quarter-final victory over the Ivory Coast. However, Riyad Mahrez and co needed penalties to win that contest.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s journey has been more entertaining. After falling to an embarrassing defeat against Madagascar, Nigeria came out on top in a five-goal thriller with Cameroon before notching an 89th minute winner against South Africa in the quarter-finals.
Without further ado, it is time to take an in-depth look at both semi-finals. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is there for the taking and all four countries will be confident of coming out on top in Sunday’s double header…
Senegal vs Tunisia
Starting with the tournament favourites, Senegal are priced at Evens to defeat Tunisia in the first of Sunday’s semi-finals.
Winning the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time will mean a lot to the players and coaching staff but giving the loyal Senegal fans a reason to celebrate is the biggest motivator.
With three goals this summer, Sadio Mane is the joint-top goal scorer at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and plenty of punters will fancy the Liverpool man to make his mark in this clash.
The 7/4 available with 888sport for Mane to score at anytime is well worth considering and we could see the Senegal forward make one step closer to the Golden Boot award.
Tunisia drew their first four matches of the tournament but advanced to the quarter-finals via a penalty shootout.
In the last eight, Tunisia produced their best performance this year, notching a 3-0 victory over Madagascar. 17/10 underdogs to advance to the Africa Cup of Nations final, Tunisia should not be written off just yet.
Punters can back Tunisia at 7/10 to score in Sunday’s semi-final. With so much on the line, Alain Giresse’s side will be determined to go out and make a positive impression early on.
These matches can be cagey at times and restricting Senegal’s attacking power is vital for Tunisia here. A good start will give them confidence and the minnows could get stronger as the game goes on…
Algeria vs Nigeria
Without a doubt, the clash between Algeria and Nigeria should be the more exciting fixture for neutrals. Algeria have been building momentum throughout the tournament and plenty of punters will fancy them to lift the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
At 31/20 to win their semi-final inside 90 minutes, Algeria are available at a tempting price and we could see Djamel Belmadi’s men competing in next week’s final.
Adam Ounas has been a revelation for Algeria this summer, notching three goals in just 120 minutes of football at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Napoli star is right in the mix to win the tournament’s top goal scorer award.
He is available at 17/4 to score on Sunday evening and that represents solid value. Ounas is not a natural striker but he has a unique knack of popping up in the right places.
Meanwhile, Nigeria have been the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 entertainers and excitement is guaranteed when they are in action. Watch this space, Nigeria could spring yet another shock here…
Odion Ighalo will lead the line for Nigeria and plenty of punters will fancy him to score for the underdogs. 13/5 is a reasonable price given his history of scoring in big contests.
The sensible pick here is for Algeria to emerge victorious. Nigeria are inconsistent at best and an Algeria victory should secure a better 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final. It should be an absolute thriller on Sunday evening.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
