Cape Verde vs Egypt prediction 22.01.2024

• Competition: Africa Cup of Nations 
• Date:  22.01.2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UTC / 21:00 CET
• Venue: Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium, Abidjan city, Ivory Coast.

Cape Verde stunned everyone by defeating Mozambique and Ghana in the initial two rounds, ensuring their progression to the knockout stage. Regardless of the outcome of their final match against Egypt &— likely the strongest team in the group &— Cape Verde is set to top the group. This marks the second consecutive occasion that Cape Verde has advanced to the knockout phase in the Africa Cup of Nations. They made it to the top 16 in 2021, only to be eliminated by Senegal with a score of 2:0.

Egypt is recognized as one of the top teams in Africa and is expected to be a strong contender for the championship in the tournament. In the previous Africa Cup of Nations, they were runners-up, losing to Senegal in a penalty shootout in the final. However, their performance at the outset of the current competition was not up to par, as they ended in a draw in their first two matches against Ghana and Mozambique. Nevertheless, a potential win against Cape Verde (who are likely to rotate their team) could see Egypt advance to the next stage of the competition. Should Mozambique and Ghana end in a draw in their head-to-head game, Egypt could proceed to the next round even with a potential draw.

Cape Verde vs Egypt pick: Over 2.5 goals

Interestingly, both teams have exceeded 2.5 goals in their initial two matches. Surprisingly, Cape Verde topped the group in scoring, netting five goals, and it would be reasonable to anticipate another goal from them in this game, even if they choose to shuffle their squad. Furthermore, Cape Verde frequently participates in high-scoring matches, having exceeded 2.5 goals in six out of their last nine games across all competitions, which equates to 67%.

Egypt managed to net four goals in their initial two matches against Ghana and Mozambique. They are a team known for constantly creating strong chances for scoring, and they attempted 32 goals in the first two games of the tournament. Additionally, Egypt has a track record of scoring at least two goals in their past five matches in all competitions, making the likelihood of scoring a pair against any African team quite feasible. However, Egypt’s defense was less than stellar in the opening games, leading to skepticism about their ability to prevent the opposing team from scoring in this match.

Taking into account all the aforementioned factors, we are of the opinion that opting for over 2.5 goals would be a wise choice for this match.