Wednesday match predictions & Africa Cup of Nations betting tips

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

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Football, from 1pm Wednesday

Best bets

Adama Traore to score in Tunisia v Mali 1pm
1pt 9-2 bet365

Over 2.5 goals in Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast 7pm
1pt 13-8 Betfair

Tunisia v Mali

Sky Sports Premier League & Football, 1pm

Tunisia and Mali get the final round of opening group fixtures started with both quietly fancied to go far given their strong recent form.

Mali impressed in World Cup qualification, keeping six clean sheets in a row as they cruised through their group.

Tunisia, meanwhile, reached the final of the recent Arab Cup, losing in extra-time to Algeria after beating Egypt, Oman and UAE to reach the decider.

Both sides are likely to be heavy favourites in their other two games, so this may turn out to be be a cagey affair.

However, one player who could break the deadlock is Sheriff Tiraspol’s Adama Traore, although punters must be wary to opt for the goalscoring winger and not the creative midfielder of the same name who is also in the Mali squad.

Traore scored six times as Sheriff defied the odds in this season's Champions League group stage and netted twice in Mali's recent World Cup qualifiers.

Mauritania v Gambia

Sky Sports Football & Premier League, 4pm

Eight years ago Mauritania were ranked as the worst national side in the world, so to qualify for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and follow up by making it to this year's edition is an exceptional achievement.

However, the minnows finished bottom of their group last time, scoring just once, and their recent form doesn't inspire much confidence either - they have won just one of their last ten games.

Wednesday's opponents Gambia are no great shakes themselves and are 150th in Fifa's world ranking making them the lowest-ranked side at the tournament.

Gambia, whose star man Musa Barrow has scored 22 goals in a three-year spell with Serie A side Bologna, are appearing at their first Afcon finals and a win for either team would be a major achievement in their history.

Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast

Sky Sports Premier League, 7pm

Well-fancied Ivory Coast get their tournament started against Equatorial Guinea in Wednesday's final match.

Defences have largely been on top during the first round of group fixtures but the Elephants’ considerable attacking firepower could see them cut loose.

The Ivorians have a wealth of attacking stars, including Premier League aces Wilfried Zaha, Nicolas Pepe and Maxwel Cornet, in their ranks and backing over 2.5 goals appeals most.

The majority of Equatorial Guinea’s defence ply their trade in the lower leagues of Spanish football and don’t come up against such quality on a regular basis.

Not got a Paddy Power account? Sign up and get up to £50 in free sports bets

Place a single £10 Sportsbook bet and get money back as a free bet if it loses. There are x5 Free Bets available. Max refund per qualifying bet is £10. Only deposits made via Credit/Debit Card will be eligible for the promotion. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply 18+ begambleaware.org

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport