Prediction: Ivory Coast vs Egypt

Verdict: Ivory Coast win

Best odds: 13/10

Bookmaker: Betfair

The groups of the African Cup of Nations have been played out, and it’s time for the knockout stages to begin. In the round of 16, Ivory Coast will take on Egypt at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon.

Ivory Coast

Drawn in Group E of the tournament, Ivory Coast first faced Equatorial Guinea and won by a single goal, courtesy of Sivasspor forward Max-Alain Gardel. It was a bit harder when they took on Sierra Leone in the second round, with goals from Ajax striker Sebastian Haller and Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe only enough for a 2-2 draw. Finally, they beat Algeria by 3-1 to secure the top spot in the group, with AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare and Pepe all on target to settle the outcome of the contest before the hour mark.

These results will have done a lot to lift the confidence of the Ivorians, who will be hoping to lift the trophy they last won in 2015. On top of that, the team led by Patrice Beaumelle lost only one of their last 15 matches, winning 10 and drawing four.

Having lost his place in the starting XI at Arsenal to young Bukayo Saka, Pepe seems revitalized when he represents his country and that is all to the good for the team.

Team News

Beaumelle won’t have too many reasons for changing anything from the last match when he names his starting XI. Haller and Pepe are both nailed on to start upfront and likely to cause the Egyptian defence a lot of issues.

Egypt

Unlike the Ivorians, Egypt had to fight hard to bounce back from a disappointing start to the tournament, and they did. It began with a 0-1 defeat to Nigeria, with Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho the man to settle it. It was Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, the Premier League’s top scorer at the moment, who brought back hope for the Pharaohs as they triumphed 1-0 over Guinea-Bissau in the second round, before defender Mohamed Abdelmonem, playing for Egyptian side Future FC, secured the three points against Sudan to send his team through to the knockout stage.

Egypt are the most successful nation in this competition with seven trophies to their name, but the last one came back in 2010, and like the Ivory Coast, they’ll be hoping to end the drought this time around.

Carlos Queiroz’s men have been on a decent run of form as well, with four wins, one draw and one defeat from their last six outings.

Salah is certainly the player to watch in this match. The Liverpool man has been incredible since he joining the Merseysiders in 2017, and he’s currently without a doubt among the best players on the planet. However, there is a lot of uncertainty about his future at the moment, with his contract expiring in 2023 and talks about a new one going on for months now.

Conclusion

Mohamed Salah may be one of the best players in the world right now, but he’s still one player. At the moment, the Ivory Coast appear to be playing with more desire and quality, and they are the favourites to book a place in the quarterfinals.

Verdict: Ivory Coast win

Best odds: 13/10

Bookmaker: Betfair