Cote d'Ivoire vs Guinea-Bissau Prediction and Betting Tips | January 13th 2024

Cote d'Ivoire will welcome Guinea-Bissau to the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in the 2023 AFCON opener on Saturday.

Cote d'Ivoire are the hosts for this edition of the continental tournament and have been drawn alongside Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea in Group A.

The hosts are making their 10th consecutive appearance in the competition. They were eliminated from the round of 16 in the previous edition by eventual runners-up Egypt and will look to improve upon that record this time around.

Guinea-Bissau have qualified for the competition for the fourth time in a row. Interestingly, they have been eliminated from the group stage in the last three editions and will aim to qualify for the knockout stage.

Both teams warmed up for the competition with a friendly last week. The hosts registered a comfortable 5-1 win over Sierra Leone thanks to goals from Ousmane Diomande, Franck Kessié, Jonathan Bamba, Jeremie Boga, and Lazare Amani. The visitors, on the other hand, lost 6-2 to Mali.

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Cote d'Ivoire vs Guinea-Bissau Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• The two sides have met just once, with that meeting coming in the erstwhile 2001 West Africa Nations Cup. The hosts recorded a comfortable 4-1 win in that match.
• The hosts are unbeaten in their last six games, including friendlies, recording three wins on the trot. They have lost just once in their last nine games.
• They have scored 16 goals in their last three games while conceding just once.
• Guinea-Bissau are winless in their three group-stage appearances in the AFCON thus far. They have drawn three games while suffering six defeats.
• Cote d'Ivoire have recorded back-to-back wins in their last three competitive games while also keeping clean sheets.
• Guinea-Bissau have failed to score in their last seven group-stage games in the AFCON.

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Cote d'Ivoire vs Guinea-Bissau Prediction

Les Éléphants head into the match on a six-game unbeaten run across all competitions, recording four wins. They have scored 16 times in their last three games, including five in a friendly last week, and will look to count on their goalscoring prowess here.

They are hosting the AFCON for just the second time and when they last hosted the competition in 1984, they were eliminated from the group stage. Head coach Jean-Louis Gasset will look to avoid an early exit this time around.

He has called up a squad with a good balance of young and experienced players and is expected to field a strong starting XI. Kessie and Seko Fofana are guaranteed starters while Sebastian Haller might get the nod to start as well.

Djurtus are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the continental competition. After scoring a goal apiece in their first two appearances in 2017, they have failed to score in the following seven games. They have just one win in their last four games and a heavy 6-2 loss to Mali in a friendly last week does not bode well for them.

Both teams will look to get their campaign off to a winning start in this highly anticipated competition. Nonetheless, the home advantage is expected to come into play for Cote d'Ivoire.

Also, considering their better form and advantage in squad quality, we back them to register a comfortable win.

Prediction: Cote d'Ivoire 3-1 Guinea-Bissau

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Cote d'Ivoire vs Guinea-Bissau Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Cote d'Ivoire to win

Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals

Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes

Tip 4: Jeremie Boga to score or assist any time - Yes