AFCON 2021 Betting Tips: 12 January 2022

Matchday 1 of the Africa Cup of Nations comes to an end on Wednesday with one of the tournament favourites and two dark horses in action.

At the time of writing, Ivory Coast are rated joint-third favourites to lift the AFCON crown, while Tunisia and Mali are joint-eighth on the favourites list.

Tunisia and Mali will go head-to-head before Mauritania face Gambia and Ivory Coast clash with Equatorial Guinea.

Our suggested bets can be placed separately or together as a multi-bet with increased potential returns on investment.

Tunisia v Mali

Both Tunisia and Mali are lacking in genuine star quality at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations. This is not to say that there are no good players in the team, but they are short on the type of talismanic stars that could have them considered among the tournament favourites.

Former FC Porto striker Moussa Marega has not received a Mali call-up since his move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Tunisia’s attacking options consist of players in or close to their 30s.

On paper, there is little to choose between these teams and a draw is the likely outcome. This would be a repeat of their last Africa Cup of Nations encounter — a 1-1 draw in 2019.

Best Bet: Draw

Mauritania v Gambia

Gambia have players such as Musa Barrow who are capable of changing games and are likely to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in their first appearance at the tournament.

Mauritania recently finished rock bottom of a World Cup qualifying group featuring Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe and recent results suggest they are likely to come up short in this fixture.

Best Bet: Gambia Win

Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast have one of the best squads on paper in this tournament, featuring the likes of Serge Aurier, Willy Boly, Eric Bailly, Franck Kessié, Maxwel Cornet and Wilfried Zaha.

They do not even have to be at full strength to brush aside an Equatorial Guinea side that is simply unlikely to provide any real resistance.

Best Bet: Ivory Coast -1 Handicap

Leonard Solms

Leonard Solms is a sports journalist who features regularly on various local and international platforms including ESPN, New Frame, FARPost, Tagged Online and Careers Magazine, as well as this one. He enjoys the occasional bet and the most important tip he can give you is to bet within your means.