Africa Cup of Nations - Ivory Coast VS Democratic Rep Congo Prediction

Africa Cup of Nations - Ivory Coast VS Democratic Rep Congo
Match Time: 08-02-2024 04:00 Thursday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Head-to-Head
From a total of 10 encounters, Ivory Coast holds a slight edge over DR Congo with a 4-3 record, with three games ending in a draw. Their last face-off in a 2019 friendly resulted in a 3-1 win for the Ivorians.

Team Analysis
Ivory Coast advanced into the AFCON semi-finals following a nerve-jangling 2-1 extra-time victory against Mali in the quarter-finals. After conceding a goal midway through the second half, it looked like curtains for them. However, Simon Adingra came up with a crucial late equalizer, followed by a winner from Oumar Diakite. Ivory Coast's AFCON journey has been nothing short of dramatic, marked by late-stage turnarounds. Having been on the brink of elimination at the group stage, they managed to make it to the subsequent rounds as one of the third-best teams, thanks to some late goals. The path has been riddled with hurdles, but Ivory Coast might feel they're destined for greatness. Nonetheless, their defensive weaknesses, with goals conceded in the last four games, will be a concern for manager Emerse Fae.

In contrast, DR Congo's quarter-final journey was relatively smooth as they convincingly defeated Guinea 3-1. Despite trailing initially, goals from Chancel Mbemba, Yoane Wissa, and Arthur Masuaku propelled them to victory. Though they had a straightforward quarter-final, DR Congo's overall journey in the tournament has been shaky. Their victory against Guinea marked their first outright win in the competition, following draws in their previous four matches. Manager Sebastien Desabre will be weighing the positives from DR Congo's last robust attacking performance against the concerns about their shaky defensive display that garnered them just a single clean sheet in their five AFCON games.

Conclusion
Given both teams' questionable defensive solidity, there's a good chance both sides will find the net. DR Congo's last game saw an abundance of goals, crossing the 3.5 mark. Furthermore, both teams have had their fair share of late-goal drama in the competition, implying the possibility of the latter half witnessing more goals.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals