Ivory Coast set out to open their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on a winning note on Wednesday when they lock horns with Equatorial Guinea at the Japoma Stadium.
Both teams will be looking to steal an early march in Group E where they have been drawn alongside Sierra Leone and defending champions Algeria.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having featured in eight consecutive AFCON tournaments, Ivory Coast wasted no time in securing a spot at this year's event as they racked up 13 of a possible 18 points during the qualifying campaign.
Since they last tasted continental success back in 2015, Patrice Beaumelle's men have performed far below expectations in the subsequent two editions of the competition.
Les Elephants have lost just one of their last 12 matches, although that was a defeat which cost them a place in the playoffs of the World Cup qualifiers.
With the majority of the travelling squad members now at the peak of their powers, Ivory Coast are one of the favourites to go all the way in Cameroon.
An opening victory would certainly help raise the confidence levels, and the West Africans will be keen to fly out of the blocks with a heavyweight clash versus Algeria still to come.
Off the back of consecutive no-shows in 2017 and 2019, Equatorial Guinea were determined to make the cut this time around and got the job done despite only amassing nine points during the qualifiers.
The Nzalang Nacional head into Wednesday's contest unbeaten in their last five matches since suffering a 3-0 defeat against Tunisia in September.
Juan Micha's men have recorded shut-outs in three of those matches but are set to be extensively tested against a very potent opposition in attack.
After a semi-final exit in their last appearance at this level seven years ago, the central Africans go in search of another deep run into the latter stages.
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Team News
Manchester United winger Amad Diallo has struggled for game time this season, so it was no surprise to see him omitted from the 28-man squad.
With 22 club goals in all competitions this term, 27-year-old Sebastien Haller has been in blistering form and is one to keep an eye on.
Midfielder Pedro Obiang, who netted twice during the qualifiers, is yet to feature since August due to myocarditis and will be a big miss for Equatorial Guinea.
Felipe Ovono currently sits one game away from becoming his nation's most capped player in history and will have his sights set on achieving the feat.
Equatorial Guinea possible starting lineup:
Owono; Anieboh, Meseguer, Angel, Obiang; Akapo, Bikoro, Hanza; Nsue, Balboa, Hanza
Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:
Gbohouo; Kossounou, Boly, Bailly; Kessie, Cornet, Aurier, Seri; Gradel, Haller, Pepe
We say: Equatorial Guinea 0-2 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast have more experience at this level and are huge favourites to come away with all three points in this one. We fancy them to come out on top at the end of the 90 minutes.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Equatorial Guinea win with a probability of 39.08%. A win for Ivory Coast had a probability of 33.64% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Equatorial Guinea win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.07%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.28%) and 2-0 (7.09%). The likeliest Ivory Coast win was 0-1 (10.09%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.92%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 10.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted that Ivory Coast would win this match.
Eq Guinea
Nigeria
Ivory Coast
Guinea-Bissau
Cape Verde
Egypt
Ghana
Mozambique
Senegal
Guinea
Cameroon
Gambia
Angola
Burkina Faso
Mauritania
Algeria
Mali
South Africa
Namibia
Tunisia
Morocco
Congo DR
Tanzania
Zambia
