Senegal went into AFCON 2021 as clear favorites and lived up to expectations. They not only clinched their first-ever African championship but did so convincingly. The Teranga Lions maintained a remarkable defensive record en route the title, securing 5 clean sheets in 7 games. As a result, Édouard Mendy received the Golden Glove award, and four Senegalese players earned spots in the Team of the Tournament, while Coach Aliou Cissé was named the Coach of the Tournament.
The clear standout performer was Sadio Mané, who was named “Player of the Tournament” and claimed the African Player of the Year award for 2022. The Al Hilal forward also finished second in Ballon d’Or voting for 2022, just behind Karim Benzema.
Ahead of this year’s AFCON, Morocco has a similar aura. Their impressive performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup has fuelled expectations, with their fans optimistic that they might finally break their 47-year AFCON drought.
In this article, we will delve into this topic and explore other Future Bets leading up to the tournament and offer some betting tips for our online sports betting community, along with several exciting odds offered by leading Nigerian betting company, BetKing.
Golden Boot Winner
The one player everyone is tipping to win the award is Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, and understandably so. Throughout the qualifiers for this tournament, Osimhen outperformed all other players by netting an impressive 10 goals—five more than the second-highest scorer, Sadio Mané. This brought his national team goal tally to 20 in just 27 games, leading many to speculate that he could be the player to finally surpass Rashidi Yekini’s record of 37 goals.
Osimhen was recently named the African Player of the Year, making him the first male footballer from Nigeria to achieve this since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999. His contributions were pivotal in Napoli’s Scudetto triumph last season after a 33-year wait, and he also secured the Capocannoniere, becoming the first African player to claim Serie A’s top scorer award.
The weight of expectations on Osimhen’s shoulders are heavy, and he’ll be watched closely by the general football world but most especially the Super Eagles supporters who have now gone 10 years without a title.
Another player deserving attention for the Golden Boot is Ivory Coast’s Sébastien Haller. In the last AFCON, Cameroon was the highest scoring team, capitalizing on the home advantage of being the host nation. Not only did Vincent Aboubakar finish with 8 goals – tying the second-most goals scored in a single AFCON edition behind Ndaye Mulamba’s 9 in 1974 – his countryman, Karl Toko Ekambi finished 2nd with 5 goals. As Ivory Coast serves as the host nation for this tournament, Haller stands to benefit from the same home advantage that Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi leveraged on in 2022. The Borussia Dortmund striker has already netted 8 goals in 21 games for Ivory Coast, including an impressive 4 goals in just 6 games in 2023.
A key contender for the award is Mo Salah. The Egyptian captain has an impressive overall record, scoring 55 goals in 95 games for the Pharaohs, including a notable 4-goal performance in their 6-0 victory over Djibouti in November. Although Salah’s scoring record at the AFCON is not the most prolific, with just 6 goals in 17 games, things could be different this time. Having been drawn in Group B alongside Cape Verde and Mozambique and considering Salah’s responsibilities for penalties and free-kicks, he could enjoy his best tournament in front of goal, and we have the best odds for this among all betting sites.
The dark horse in the race for the AFCON Golden Boot is Youssef En-Nesyri. The Sevilla striker has a knack for scoring in cup competitions and will play a pivotal role in Morocco’s quest for the title. Despite a relatively modest league goal tally of 8 in 31 games for Sevilla last season, En-Nesyri shone in cup competitions by netting 10 goals across the Copa del Rey and Europa League, winning the latter. The 26-year-old further underlined his scoring ability on the international stage by contributing two goals for Morocco in the FIFA World Cup, including the decisive winner against Portugal in the Quarter-Final.
Assists Leader
It’s a no-brainer that the player with the most assist will probably come from the team with the most goals. In the last edition of the AFCON, Cameroon’s duo, Vincent Aboubakar (8) and Karl Toko Ekambi (5) led the tournament in goals scored. So, it came as no surprise that Martin Hongla and Collins Fai, also from Cameroon, led the assists chart with 3 apiece.
With this in mind, it’s crucial to keep a close watch on Riyad Mahrez. The 2019 champions find themselves in Group D alongside Angola, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania; teams with weaker defences than theirs. The expectation is that Algeria will assert their dominance in this group, scoring several goals, with Riyad Mahrez to play a pivotal role as the primary orchestrator.
Golden Glove
The AFCON is one of the rare football tournaments where triumph is built on defense rather than attack. Over the past 8 editions of the AFCON, the goalkeeper from the winning team has either clinched the Golden Glove award, secured a spot in the Team of the Tournament, or achieved both accolades. Remarkably, the last goalkeeper to be featured in the Team of the Tournament without winning the AFCON was Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama, a feat accomplished in the 2004 edition won by Tunisia.
Considering this, a player worth placing a bet on is Morocco’s Yassine Bounou. Over the past 18 months, Bounou has been outstanding, winning the Europa League with Sevilla and guiding Morocco to the World Cup semi-finals. In the World Cup, he impressively kept three clean sheets, tying for the most in the tournament. His individual achievements in 2023 include being named in the Europa League Team of the Season, winning the African Goalkeeper of the Year award, and attaining the 13th spot in the Ballon d’Or voting–the highest among goalkeepers. Since joining Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, he has won the Goalkeeper of the Month awards for both October and November and has conceded the least number of goals. If Morocco lives up to expectations and emerges victorious in the tournament, Bounou will be the logical choice for this award, and our bet of the day is for him to do this.
Winner of the Tournament
There are a few teams with ambitious dreams going into this tournament. The Super Eagles of Nigeria have the richest attacking arsenal on the continent and with this, comes high expectations. Mo Salah and Egypt, having reached and lost two of the last three finals, aim to further their success by securing an eighth title and overcoming their demons, while Ivory Coast, armed with the advantage of being the host nation, enters the tournament with high confidence levels. Also, Algeria, Cameroon and Senegal, winners of the last three editions, demand attention and cannot be underestimated.
As earlier stated, the one team expected to win this tournament is Morocco. Their remarkable performance in the FIFA World Cup, where they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, is a solid foundation on which they can build further success. In the eight matches played since the World Cup, they suffered just one defeat and secured victories in four games, including an impressive 2-1 win over Brazil. During this period, they have kept five clean sheets, adding to the three in seven World Cup games. This means, in the past year, they have kept a commendable eight clean sheets in 15 games, most of which have come against some of the best teams on the planet. Recognizing the pivotal role a sturdy defense plays in winning the AFCON, coupled with the presence of star players such as Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech, Noussair Mazraoui, Youseff En-Nesyri, and Yassine Bounou across various positions, the Atlas Lions are the most well-equipped and balanced team heading into this tournament.
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