Betting Tips
Nigeria is one win away from the final thanks to their outstanding Africa Cup of Nations campaign, but they still need to defeat South Africa in Wednesday’s semi-final at Stade de la Paix.
In their most recent match, the Super Eagles defeated Angola 4–0 to advance to the round of sixteen, while Bafana Bafana required a master performance from Ronwen Williams to overcome Cape Verde in the quarterfinals. TopbetsNG picks the top five betting fixtures you can place your money on plus for our readers.
Nigeria vs South Africa
Through the use of their superior defenses, bitter rivals South Africa and Nigeria have advanced to the penultimate round of this competition. Nigeria, currently placed 42nd in the FIFA Rankings, is the highest-ranked team still in the competition after Senegal (20th) and Morocco (13th) were eliminated. After defeating Equatorial Guinea 1-1, the Super Eagles advanced through the group stages undefeated.
They have since won all four of their subsequent games without giving up a goal. Nigeria secured their place in this match last week with a goal from Ademola Lookman when they defeated a formidable Angola team 1-0.
With their current run to the final four, South Africa is making their first appearance at this level since 2000. They have been waiting for an AFCON championship since 1996. Bafana Bafana has depended largely on their defense to win, just like their rivals. They only gave up two goals against Mali in their first game, which ended in a 2-0 loss.
After that, South Africa shut down, winning 4-0 against Namibia and drawing 0-0 with Tunisia in their last group-stage encounter. Bafana Bafana was drawn to play Morocco, the tournament favorite, in the Round of 16, and they successfully defeated them 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Last Monday, Ronwen Williams, the goalie for Mamelodi Sundowns, led South Africa to win over Cape Verde.
Verdict
Nigeria is the clear favorite going into this game, but they will also be mindful of how tough it is to beat South Africa, especially after they have defeated teams like Cape Verde and Morocco in their last two encounters. Since maintaining a clean sheet will probably be a top priority for both of these teams, we believe that the first goal has the best chance of winning.
Tip: Nigeria to Win / Under 2.5 Goals
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Ivory Coast vs Congo DR
The second semi-final at the Africa Cup of Nations will see the Ivory Coast take on DR Congo on Wednesday evening. The winner of this match will face either Nigeria or South Africa in the grand final on Sunday, February 11, at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe.
The Elephants have won this competition two times and are the third favorite to win this one, according to the latest AFCON odds. The Leopards have also lifted the AFCON trophy on two occasions but last did so in 1974.
Before their match on Wednesday in the Elephants’ backyard during the AFCON semi-final, Ivory Coast and Congo DR appear to be indistinguishable.
After taking control halfway through the competition, Emerse Fae has managed victories over Senegal via penalty shootout and Mali via extra time.
Given that three of the Leopards’ five AFCON 2023 matches have also ended in a tie, it is difficult to envision a different outcome being as likely as a score draw when these two meet. Both matches ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Verdict
Even though a lot of people think that Ivory Coast shouldn’t have advanced this far in the competition, the Elephants have proven themselves, and it’s difficult to discount them winning this one again. Even so, we don’t think it will be by much because DR Congo has played strong defense and usually gets out to a strong offensive start in games. Given that both teams’ two elimination matches in the competition have ended in a draw, betting on both sides to score seems like a reasonable bet at the available odds.
Tip: Ivory Coast to Win / BTTS (YES)
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Below are our top betting fixtures for Wednesday:
1X2 Market
- Hibernian v Celtic
- Forest v Bristol City
- Aston Villa v Chelsea
- PSG v Brest Paripesa, 1win, Helabet, Betano
- Feyenoord v AZ Paripesa, 1win, Helabet, Betano
BTTS
- St. Johnstone v Hearts
- Lyon v Lille Paripesa, 1win, Helabet, Betano
- Montpellier v Nice Paripesa, 1win, Helabet, Betano
- Saint Priest v Valenciennes
- Real Esteli v America
Over 2.5 goals
- Mainz v Union Berlin
- Atletico Madrid v Athletic Club
- Puerto Cabello v Defensor Paripesa, 1win, Helabet, Betano
- Iran v Qatar Paripesa, 1win, Helabet, Betano
- Kilmarnock v Livingston
For professional advice, see the Daily Betting Tips at TopBets.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
