Verdict: Both teams to score
Best Odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: William Hill
New-look Ivory Coast could only muster a goalless draw with Togo in their opening fixture and this is clearly a must-win game for the Elephants if they want to progress to the next stage. DR Congo, on the other hand, would probably settle for one point having defeated Morocco three days ago.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast finally ended a 23-year wait for the second Africa Cup of Nations trophy at the previous edition of the tournament, defeating Ghana on penalties in the final, and the Elephants have since continued the rich vein of form. Michel Dussuyer’s charges face an incredibly difficult task in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, having been drawn in the same group with Mali, Gabon and Morocco, but they enjoyed a pretty good start, taking four points from first two matches to climb to the top of the standings. However, it is the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations that has the priority at the moment, and it is fair to say that the boss couldn’t take some of his best players to the tournament in Gabon. Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Seydou Doumbia are all missing, but Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has made the cut after switching his allegiance from England. Talented footballers Eric Bailly, Franck Kessie and Jean Seri as well as newcomers Jonathan Kodjia now have important roles to play, and it remains to be seen how far can the defending champions go. Their opening match against Togo was not exactly a success as the Elephants couldn’t break the deadlock, so they will have to show some sort of improvement in the second fixture.
Team News
With no fresh injury worries to report, coach Michel Dussuyer is unlikely to make changes to the side that played out a 0-0 draw with Togo.
DR Congo
DR Congo have two Africa Cup of Nations trophies to their name, won in 1968 and 1974, but they have since largely struggled on international stage. The Leopards went on to won the third place in 1998, but only recently started showing considerable improvement. Led by the impressive Dieumerci Mbokani, DR Congo enjoyed a very successful 2015 tournament, achieving a third-place finish and it was none other than Ivory Coast that beat them to a place in the final, winning the game 3-1. This will be a perfect opportunity for the Leopards to get revenge on the Elephants and it is clear that they head into the game in much better spirits than the opposition. Following the success in Equatorial Guinea, coach Jean-Florent Ibenge was obviously allowed to continue the work and he did well to justify the trust of the national team chiefs. Under his command, Congo DR won their AFCON qualifying group with five points to spare, while kicking off the 2018 World Cup qualifiers with back to back wins over Libya and Guinea. The Leopards then went on to defeat Morocco in their opening fixture in Gabon, with Junior Kabananga scoring the winner.
Team News
Cedric Bakambu will again be preferred to Dieumerci Mbokani, but Jose Lomalisa Mutambala is suspended. Yannick Bolasie misses the tournament through injury.
Key Factors to Consider
- Both teams scored in each of their last nine meetings
- A total of 29 goals were scored in the process
- DR Congo won four of last seven matches vs Ivory Coast (D1 L2)
- Ivory Coast recorded a 3-1 win in 2015 AFCON semis
- DR Congo won last seven competitive fixtures
Conclusion
Matches between Ivory Coast and DR Congo tend to guarantee premium entertainment and we expect the run of nine straight matches where both teams scored to continue. While the Leopards are buoyed by the triumph over Morocco, this is a must-win game for the Elephants, meaning we should see goals galore at Stade d’Oyem.
Verdict: Both teams to score
Best Odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: William Hill
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