The Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (put back a year due to coronavirus) is now underway in Cameroon, with the tournament looking wide open.
The pre-tournament bookies favourites were Senegal and they started their campaign with a 1-0 win against Zimbabwe, courtesy of a Sadio Mane penalty deep into stoppage-time. It was a fairly lacklustre performance from the Lions of Teranga, but they have a squad built on talent from Europe’s major leagues (Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ismaila Sarr, Idrissa Gueye, Abdou Diallo, etc) and a very strong starting XI.
Senegal should certainly be there or thereabouts in the latter stages of the competition and at odds of 4/1 to win the tournament with BoyleSports are worth careful consideration.
What happened last time?
Algeria are the defending champions and very much the form team in African football, having been undefeated in 41 games in all competitions since a 1-0 loss to Benin in October 2018.
The Desert Foxes also started in disappointing fashion at AFCON 2021 though, being held to a goalless draw by Sierra Leone in their opening group game, but they possess an abundance of talent and should certainly improve.
In Islam Slimani and Riyad Mahrez, they certainly have goals in their team, while Djamel Belmadi has excelled as coach. They are 4/1 with Boylesports, and they will unquestionably have plenty of support at those AFCON 2021 outright odds.
Mo Salah’s Egypt 12/1
Egypt can of course call upon the player widely regarded as being the best in the world at present, in Liverpool’s Mo Salah. The bulk of the Egyptian squad play their football in the domestic league though, so it’s debatable as to whether they have the quality to go all the way in the tournament. Despite Salah, they are also not the most prolific of teams and can struggle to win matches.
The Pharaohs started AFCON 2021 with a 1-0 defeat against Nigeria, so they are already facing a challenge just to navigate their way through the group stage. They can currently be backed at 12/1 for the tournament with bet365*.
What about the AFCON host nation?
Host nation Cameroon has to be respected on home soil, and they kicked things off with a come from behind 2-1 win against Burkina Faso, thanks to two penalties from captain Vincent Aboubakar.
The Indomitable Lions are perhaps not quite as talented as some of the other leading teams at the tournament, but with home advantage and odds of 7/1 with Boylesports they certainly shouldn’t be discounted.
Nigeria is Our 2nd Pick
As ever, Nigeria come into the tournament with a deep pool of talent, but there are always issues with the administration in the background that undermine their hopes.
The Super Eagles certainly possess the squad to go all the way though (Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo, Moses Simon, Taiwo Awoniyi, etc), and if they maintain the form that saw them start with a well-deserved 1-0 win over Egypt, they might just be worth a punt at decent AFCON 2021 odds of 13/2 with bet365*
Ivory Coast are not the stellar team of old, but there is still a wealth of talent available to French coach Patrice Beaumelle in the likes of the much sought-after Franck Kessie, Wilfried Zaha, Sebastien Haller, Maxwel Cornet, Jeremie Boga, Ibrahim Sangare and Odilon Kossonou.
They were eliminated from World Cup 2022 qualification at the last group stage (missing out to Cameroon), so their focus will be firmly on the AFCON. They are odds of 8/1 with bet365* to claim the title.
AFCON 2021 Outside Bet
Of those outside the main contenders, perhaps Mali offers the greatest chance of providing an upset.
The Eagles have a reasonable looking group draw alongside Tunisia, Gambia and Mauritania, come into the tournament in excellent form and have a squad largely made up of players in their early and mid-20s that is based upon the successful Under-17 and Under-20 teams at youth World Cups a few years back.
AFCON betting odds of 20/1 with Betfair on Mali to win AFCON 2021 have some appeal.
Africa Cup Of Nations 2021 Predictions:
- Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (Winner): Senegal @ 4/1 with Boylesports
- Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (Winner): Nigeria @ 13/2 with bet365*
- Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (Winner): Mali @ 20/1 with Betfair Sportsbook
* AFCON betting odds 2021 correct at the time of article publication. All AFCON odds 2021 subject to changes. (obviously!)
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