Mali vs Ivory Coast prediction 03.02.2024

• Competition: Africa Cup of Nations
• Date: Saturday, 3rd February 2024
• Kickoff: 17:00 UK / 18:00 CET
• Venue: Stade de la Paix (Bouaké)

Mali continues to seek its first title at the Africa Cup of Nations, with its greatest achievement dating back to 1972 when it was a runner-up to the present-day Republic of Congo. Since then, the team’s best performances have been five semifinal appearances. This year’s journey was no walk in the park, but Mali advanced to the quarterfinals without a loss. In the 1/8 final, the team led by Eric Chelle secured a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso. Both teams were evenly matched in the game, but in the end, Mali managed to clutch another hard-earned victory.

After securing two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 1992 and 2015, Ivory Coast is on its way to possibly clinching a third after a win against Mali. Despite only reaching the quarterfinals once in the previous three championships, they’ve managed to make it past the group phase, where they suffered two losses, thanks to a victory over Guinea Bissau. Emerse Fae’s team then faced off against Senegal, widely regarded as the best African team, in the 1/8 final. Ivory Coast managed to draw and ultimately made it to the quarterfinals through a penalty shootout. This win should boost Ivory Coast’s confidence as they prepare for their next game against Mali.

Mali vs Ivory Coast pick: Under 2.5 goals

In this tournament, both teams predominantly played low-scoring matches. In fact, in three out of four games, both teams scored less than 2.5 goals. As such, betting on under 2.5 goals seems to be the most secure option for this closely contested tie.