Algeria are tipped to beat Senegal in the the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Final at the Cairo International Stadium.
The North Africans have already defeated their opponents in Egypt and are backed to secure another victory.
Senegal needed extra time before seeing off Tunisia 1-0 in their semi final clash. They rode their luck a few times in the contest before Dylan Bronn’s unfortunate own goal sealed the win for the West Africans.
Aliou Cisse’s men are making their second appearance in the AFCON final having been beaten by Cameroon in 2002. They have never won the AFCON and were not at their best against Tunisia.
Sadio Mane has three goals for Senegal in Egypt, although the striker has failed to score in his last two matches. The Liverpool forward is set to start in attack alongside M’Baye Niang, who is still seeking his first goal at this AFCON.
Algeria claimed a 2-1 victory over Nigeria to secure their place in Friday’s final. They took a first half lead through an own goal from William Troost-Ekong while Riyad Mahrez scored a superb free kick late in the contest after the Nigerians had drawn level.
Djamel Belmadi’s men have been excellent all through this competition claiming five wins and seeing off Ivory Coast on penalties on their way to the final. They are backed at 2.87 for the win on Friday and given their impressive showing in Egypt, I am backing this outcome.
Riyad Mahrez was the hero for Algeria in the semi final as he netted his third goal in the competition. He is set to retain his place in the team while the impressive Youcef Belaili and Baghdad Bounedjah are also expected to start.
Algeria have a 4-2 advantage with two draws from eight previous matches against Senegal. The North Africans have won three of the last four meetings including a 1-0 victory during the group stage.
Youcef Belaili got the only goal of the game as Algeria nullified every threat posed by Senegal.
Sadio Mane appears to be the biggest threat for Senegal, although the 27-year-old is currently on a two-match goal drought. With M’Baye Niang also struggling in front of goal, the West Africans could be in for a difficult time on Friday.
Riyad Mahrez will be the one to watch for the Algerians following his impressive showing against Nigeria. He often combines well with attackers Youcef Belaili and Baghdad Bounedjah and all three men should get the better of the Senegal backline.
Algeria are yet to taste defeat at AFCON 2019 and have won five of their six matches. They already beat Senegal during the group stage and are tipped to secure another victory on Friday.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Senegal and Algeria played 9 matches so far
Senegal won 3 direct matches. Algeria won 4 matches. 2 matches ended in a draw. On average in direct matches both teams scored a 2.44 goals per Match. Senegal in actual season average scored 1.61 goals per match.
In 18 (72.00%) matches played at home was total goals (team and opponent) Over 1.5 goals. In 10 (40.00%) matches in season 2019 played at home was total goals (team and opponent) Over 2.5 goals.
Algeria average scored 2.21 goals per match in season 2019. In 15 (83.33%) matches played away was total goals (team and opponent) Over 1.5 goals. In 10 (55.56%) matches played away team was total goals (team and opponent) Over 2.5 goals.
