Tuesday Africa Cup of Nations predictions: Salah may inspire Egypt to victory

Best bets and analysis for Tuesday's matches in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Football from 1pm Tuesday

Best bets

B Bounedjah to score in Algeria v Sierra Leone 1pm
2pts 20-21 bet365, Boylesports

Egypt 4pm
1pt 7-4 bet365

Tuesday betting preview

The third day of matches at the Africa Cup of Nations sees some of the brightest talents on the continent start their campaigns.

Riyad Mahrez's Algeria, who are reigning champions, start against minnows Sierra Leone in Group E while Mo Salah will be in action when Nigeria and Egypt - two of the competition's most decorated nations - lock horns in Garoua. In the other Group D fixture, Sudan take on Guinea-Bissau.

Algeria v Sierra Leone

Sky Sports Premier League & Football, 1pm

There will not be many games at this year's Afcon more one-sided than reigning champions Algeria taking on Sierra Leone, who last qualified for the tournament in 1996 and are 108th in Fifa's world rankings.

Sierra Leone are as big as 60-1 to defeat last year's Arab Cup winners and it is no surprise given Algeria are unbeaten in 34 matches.

The match markets offer little but there could be value in betting on who gets on the scoresheet in this match.

Man City star Mahrez will obviously be the name that jumps out to most but 30-year-old striker Baghdad Bounedjah was top scorer in qualifying with four goals and he has also hit 128 goals in 108 appearances for Qatari side Al Sadd since 2015. He looks a decent bet to find the net.

Nigeria v Egypt

Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League & Football, 4pm

These two countries have won seven Afcon titles between them but the last of those came when Nigeria prevailed in 2013 and both have plenty of work to do if they are to go all the way in Cameroon.

Egypt, however, look better prepared going into their opener, having reached the semi-finals of last year's Arab Cup without Mo Salah or Mo Elneny in their ranks.

Nigeria, meanwhile, sacked manager Gernot Rohr only four weeks ago, replacing him with Austin Eguavoen, and suffered some disappointing results in World Cup qualifying.

They lost to Central African Republic and were held to a draw by Cape Verde and performances like those would surely be punished by the Egyptians, who could be a decent bet to win this one.

Sudan v Guinea-Bissau

Sky Sports Football, 7pm

Sudan and Guinea-Bissau could well make up the numbers in Group D but victory for either nation in this game would give them a good chance of being one of the four best third-placed teams in the group stage.

While Sudan last played in this tournament ten years ago, Guinea-Bissau are preparing for their third straight Afcon campaign.

They can be expected to play mostly on the back foot and could be more organised than Sudan, whose manager Burhan Tia was appointed in December 2021.

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