African Cup of Nations 20 - 23 January 2008

[adam7982]

Originally Posted by christo85efc;980024


Just a small bet on [B

Salomon Kalou FS @ 11.00 betfair[/b]

Good news - the match is on bbci, so im settling dow now!!!

Well done on kalou mate great pick.

Get in Ivory coast come on mali

[Tulenos]

Absolutely nothing between the teams so no value in backing Mali @ short prices @ HT. HAve gone for over 5 corners in the second @ even money @ PP - the ball is in the air very often so a better chance than in earlier matches and also thinking about a red to be shown - the ref is more than card-happy and some players, Kanoute esp., can get one more for dissent - interestingly, whenever Kanoute is fouled ner the goal, the ref call it an attacking foul by him

[meatman]

Originally Posted by Tulenos

Absolutely nothing between the teams so no value in backing Mali @ short prices @ HT. HAve gone for over 5 corners in the second @ even money @ PP - the ball is in the air very often so a better chance than in earlier matches and also thinking about a red to be shown - the ref is more than card-happy and some players, Kanoute esp., can get one more for dissent - interestingly, whenever Kanoute is fouled ner the goal, the ref call it an attacking foul by him

yeh agree Tulenos, I can just see a red here

[meatman]

how was that not a sending off eh??


this ref is shit, at least he gave the pen

[meatman]

Originally Posted by meatman

Morocco -1.25 AH @ 1.92 Pinnacle 3/10

Morocco cant afford to slip up in this game if they are to realistically consider qualifying for the Quarter finals. Personally I know little about Namibia but nobody is suggesting that they could be a surprise force in this tournament. On paper Morocco look to have a decent enough squad, one which I believe could come unstuck against Guinea and Ghana, but should be good enough today. Like I said, they just cant afford not to win, and ideally they need to win by a big margin, goal difference could prove to be vital. I’d imagine Namibia will line up with a really defensive formation making themselves hard to break down, but surely Morocco will eventually crack them. I nearly bet the -1 AH but id rather stake less and go for the -1.25 option. Morocco should really have a fairly easy ride, something like 2-0 or 3-0



Ivory Coast (0) AH @ 1.78 Ladbrokes 4/10

This is the big match of the day and between the best two teams in the groups. But I feel the Ivories are the better side and should probably be able to outscore their opponents. When you look at the quality that they have in attack its difficult to see them struggling to score goals. Nigeria should also be a threat upfront, but overall I’d say they are 2nd best here. A draw probably wouldn’t be a bad result for either side which is why the best bet is perhaps on the 0AH. Ladbrokes offer 1.78 on the Ivories which is just a bit too high IMO. This is a really key game for myself personally because if the Ivory Coast can win it, then my outright bet for them to win the group will look really good, pretty much complete as long as they do a job on Mali. Nigeria cant be underestimated but I feel they will end up losing here.




Mali -0.75 AH @ 2.01 Pinnacle 5/10

This is an absolute must win for Mali if they are to have any realistic chance of qualifying for the quarter finals. I’d imagine the Ivory Coast and Nigeria will make light work of these minnows so Mali as well simply must do the same. They must also consider trying to win by a decent margin because goal difference could prove to be pivotal in this group. Benin actually held Mali to a couple of draws in the qualifying for this competition, but it’d be a shock if they could do it again. Mali might not have the class of Nigeria or the Ivories, but they still have a lot of decent players. Someone like Freddy Kanoute should be good enough to unlock this defence, presumably Benin will just line up with a rigid tight formation and it’ll be up to Mali to break them down. I have no worries taking the favourites on the -0.75 AH @ 2.01. It actually looks like a terrific value bet to me.

top day for me in Ghana - all 3 bets winners, albeit Mali -0.75 on half won

[adam7982]

Great day for me had treble of all winning sides today am a happy man [aid 5.7/1 so nice price.


Bring on tomorrow

[MartyMcG_1967]

Originally Posted by MartyMcG_1967

Going for a Morocco/Mali double on day two of the tournament. Mali have twice drawn with Benin in qualifying but are many people's dark horses for this tournament and if they are to have any chance of splitting the Ivory Coast and Nigeria they will need to hit the ground running here against a Benin side who do not possess the same quality as Mali with household names such as Freddie Kanoute and Mahamadou Diarra.

Don't know much about Namibia but again there looks a gulf in class here. Morocco are coached by the experienced Henri Michel who took them to the 1998 World Cup and they should be comfortable enough here.

Always good to get a winning start to the tournament, Benin were unlucky not to take something in the end, wasn't too impressed in Mali from what I saw of the second half.

Great shout on the Kalou pick Christo

[christo85efc]

Originally Posted by adam7982

Well done on kalou mate great pick.

Get in Ivory coast come on mali

Originally Posted by MartyMcG_1967

Always good to get a winning start to the tournament, Benin were unlucky not to take something in the end, wasn't too impressed in Mali from what I saw of the second half.

Great shout on the Kalou pick Christo

Cheers fellas!

Great day all round for everyone it seems, well done guys!

Lets keep up the form for tomorrow.

[meatman]

Cameroon -0.25 AH @ 1.90 Bet188 5/10

Well I have already put a lot of eggs into the Cameroon basket ahead of this competition and again I will be staking on them in their first match. It’s a really important one for me personally as I’m on the Lions to win this group outright quite strongly. It very much looks like this clash could realistically decide does end up on top, if everything goes to plan as regards to favouritism. As I’ve said in a lot of other posts, Cameroon have a lot of strength in their squad on an overall scale, from their goalkeeper right up to the key striker that is Smauel Eto’o. He is sure to have a big say in this event and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lay down a marker by scoring a couple of goals. Egypt cant be underestimated and of course they are the defending champions, also unbeaten in qualifying. But away from their own country it will be different and much harder. Cameroon should be more suited to these conditions and should have too much for their opponents. I’ll take this -0.25 AH @ 1.90 and I believe it’s a decent bet. There is a risk of a draw, but with this line it wouldn’t mean total disaster.



Sudan +0.5 AH @ 2.05 Canbet 3/10

Ok so now we shall finally find out how good Sudan really are and whether or not they can be a surprise factor in this tournament. I already have them at a decent price to qualify from this group and realistically they need to be winning this match if they are to achieve that target. They haven’t had the best of preparation for this tournament, including one 0-6 loss, but they weren’t at full strength. Its worth remembering that all of their players come from just 2 teams, so they know each other extremely well. Both of these Sudan teams have apparently done well in the African club competitions, so that in itself should command some respect. They did very well in qualifying, outdoing Tunisia to top a group, a fine achievement. Zambia came through a decent qualifying group that contained South Africa and cant be underestimated, but I don’t understand why they are so short here. I’ll happily take Sudan +0.5 AH @ 2.05, getting a full payout if they were to get a draw. All the Sudan questions will be answered today. They could deliver, or they might just be flops, I guess time will tell.

[Tulenos]

Steve - from the trading point of view it is probably the best chance to back Zambia to win as a kind of a covering bet against the one of Sudan to qualify - you would still be left with some 4/1 for them to qualify and recover the stake (depends on staking this match). I also feel they are worth backing at that price, only if you take things as a whole complex, the opposite bet would make much more sense

[adam7982]

Hey everyone, not many of you will know this but i am a huge cameroon fan and really hope they can win this competition. Why do i support them? it goes back to the whole world cup roger miller and as a kid i loved watching cameroon.

Anyway......i feel they will have to much class today and Eto to score (well i hope he does for you meaty) Egypt have some good players but if cameroon have any ambition they need to be winning games like this.

Adam

[Football-Tipper]

Both todays african nations matches can be seen here live and free

LINK

[JayJB]

I personally think Cameroon wll be too strong for Egypt today. Reading the team news on the BBC website Egypt have their influential captain Ahmed Hassan suspended for todays game and also Mido is injured.

This will be Cameroons toughest group game but they have a great chance today of beating the holders with Egypts absentees. Also Samuel Eto'o will want to prove he is the best African striker at the tournemant and think he will start proving that tonight.

I may go for a Cameroon win - Eto'o to score anytime double today.

[friskyfitz]

I know a few of you saw last night's match between Mali and Benin. Can anybody give me an unbias run down on how Benin played...

I missed the game and cant find much highlights.

Cheers for any info guys

[Tulenos]

Well, Brian, both sides were basically awful most of the time and both had some brilliant spells - anyone thinking of backing Mali to win the whole thing should really think twice before doing so, do not even think they will qualify from the group - the only difference between the teams was the penalty. Towards the end, for some 5-7 minutes, Benin bossed the pitch and created some pretty good chances and were unlucky not to score - but most of the time they preferred to sit back and play a waiting game. The "star" of the night was that card-happy reffy who spoilt everything that was left. Can go on, but there was very little to find in a pretty low-key affair.

[Tulenos]

And - amazing stuff - the lights were off for some 45 minutes which delayed the match - at an event like this!!!

[winningman]

Egypt v Cameroon

Cameroon goes to the ANC bringing a weaker side compared to previous years. But they are the one nation that always performs well in this continental tournament. That, plus Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, makes the scale tip in favor of Cameroon. Defensively they don't look like pushovers either with the experienced Rigobert Song captaining the side. Cameroon is expected to field their strongest lineup tonight with a healthy squad to choose from.

Egypt, despite being defending champions are seen as the underdogs in this tournament, and go into this match with a +0.25 handicap. Their only concern is their first choice goalkeeper who may not start the match due to an ankle injury and also their suspended captain. This may be significant to the outcome of this match.

Prediction: Egypt 0 - Cameroon 1

Sudan v Zambia

The other match played tonight is between Sudan and Zambia with what I see as only daylight separating the two teams. However, Zambia's win over South Africa in the qualification match stands out as their best performance & gives an indication of what they are capable of. Only worry is that they will have to make do without their top striker. Whoever scores first will have control of the match. Both teams are capable of scoring, so if you are playing total goals for this match, I recommend TG over 2.25. Normally I would shy away from matches like this as it could go either way. But if I had to pick, I'm going for a Zambia win

Prediction: Sudan 1 - Zambia 3

[allthethings]

Originally Posted by adam7982

Hey everyone, not many of you will know this but i am a huge cameroon fan and really hope they can win this competition. Why do i support them? it goes back to the whole world cup roger miller and as a kid i loved watching cameroon.

Anyway......i feel they will have to much class today and Eto to score (well i hope he does for you meaty) Egypt have some good players but if cameroon have any ambition they need to be winning games like this.

Adam

I remember the controversy over their use of a supposed witch doctor back in the 82 or 86 WC I believe...the claim was that he had cast a spell over the Cameroon goal and that no one could score against them. And if I remember right, the scores in the qualifying rouns were something like 1-0, 0-0, 0-0.

[friskyfitz]

Originally Posted by Tulenos

Well, Brian, both sides were basically awful most of the time and both had some brilliant spells - anyone thinking of backing Mali to win the whole thing should really think twice before doing so, do not even think they will qualify from the group - the only difference between the teams was the penalty. Towards the end, for some 5-7 minutes, Benin bossed the pitch and created some pretty good chances and were unlucky not to score - but most of the time they preferred to sit back and play a waiting game. The "star" of the night was that card-happy reffy who spoilt everything that was left. Can go on, but there was very little to find in a pretty low-key affair.

Thanks mate, As my post yesterday stated, I felt Benin are not a bad side at all but unfortunately this was the game I had them down to win. I will sit away from them now as the other two games are not to my liking.

[adam7982]

Originally Posted by allthethings

I remember the controversy over their use of a supposed witch doctor back in the 82 or 86 WC I believe...the claim was that he had cast a spell over the Cameroon goal and that no one could score against them. And if I remember right, the scores in the qualifying rouns were something like 1-0, 0-0, 0-0.

Very well remembered mate..... what a stupid excuse for not scoring against them eh ......hahaha