Africa Cup of Nations
As football betting in Europe continues to captivate the football-loving crowd, people will undoubtedly notice the absence of some of their star players. This select crop will travel south and compete for their country’s honour in Gabon.
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is not just a mere exhibition of Africa’s great football talents; it is also the perfect ground for memorable football moments and exciting betting odds. Every nation competing in this tournament will surely bring their European players at their hip.
Gabon, the host nation, is far down the totem pole when it comes to countries with a chance of taking home the trophy. Their outright odds currently sit at 10.00, but they do have the services of super striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to help them snag the goals they need.
The most-backed horse in this competition has to Ivory Coast, with bookies rating the Elephants 4.50 outright. Having just won the 2015 tilt, Ivory Coast have quality players all over pitch: Eric Bailly will shore up the defence, Wilfried Zaha’s strong midfield performance in Crystal Palace will carry over to the national side, and Wilfried Bony will still command the attention of the opposing defence.
Second favourites in this tournament are Senegal. The nine-goal Sadio Mane may become the second-biggest problems defenders will face on the Gabonese pitches. Moreover, with names like Kalidou Koulibaly, Saliou Ciss, Cheikhou Kouyate and Mohamed Diame backing the Liverpool man from behind, the Lions of Teranga get deserved outright odds of 6.00.
Some will argue that Riyad Mahrez is the only reason Algeria gets a good outright figure of 8.00 from the bookkeepers. He and fellow Leicester team-mate Islam Slimani will be doing a lot of heavy lifting up front to force their way past the group stages and into the knockout stages. Georges Leekens will depend on the likes of Aissa Mandi and Faouzi Ghoulam to lighten the load on Mahrez’s shoulders.
However, it will be foolish to simply look at these four nations when it comes to picking out the winner. Countries like Egypt (9.00), Cameroon (13.00) and Morocco (15.00) have their own share of European players and will likely come up with interesting tactics to stop the favourites.
This year’s AFCON will be action-packed and full of goals, especially with the recent surge of African players in terms of relevance in the big European leagues. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the fantastic football under the hot African sun.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
