African Cup of Nations - Round of 16 Tips

A dramatic Africa Cup of Nations group stage that saw shock early exits for the likes of Ghana and Tunisia concluded on Wednesday and attention now turns to the knockout stage in the Ivory Coast.

The last-16 action begins on Saturday with two surprise packages, Angola and Namibia, facing off before Nigeria clash with Cameroon in what promises to be one of the ties of the round.

However, the headline act of the first knockout round actually takes place on Monday, when hosts Ivory Coast, who were hugely disappointing in the group stage, meet reigning champions Senegal.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has already provided shocks aplenty and the round of 16 is likely to give us even more.

If the group stage is anything to go by then the first knockout round could be trappy for bettors, but we have come up with three selections which could pay dividends.

Tip 1 - Nigeria to beat Cameroon @ 11/10

Nigeria drew their opening match against Equatorial Guinea and panic stations were manned immediately.

However, fast forward a week and that point actually reads well for the Super Eagles as their opening opponents went on to top Group A and beat hosts Ivory Coast 4-0.

Nigeria won their following two matches 1-0 and actually recorded the best expected-goals-against figure (1.28) of any side in the group stage. That defensive fortitude could prove pivotal in a historically low-scoring tournament.

Cameroon needed some late heroics to overcome Gambia and book their place in the round of 16, and there wasn't that much to be positive about in the Indomitable Lions' group-stage performances.

They failed to beat Guinea, who were reduced to ten men for over half of the game, in their opener before being dominated by Senegal and outshout 15-13 in their late win over Gambia, who ended on zero points.

Nigeria are the stronger of the two sides and their defensive solidity could provide the foundations for their exceptional attack to build on and progress deep into the tournament.

Tip 2 - Both teams to score in Egypt v DR Congo @ 6/5

Like Cameroon, Egypt relied heavily on late heroics to reach the knockout stage, equalising late on against Mozambique before saving their best efforts for the final 20 minutes in their next two games against Ghana and Cape Verde.

The Pharaohs rode their luck and drew all three of their group games 2-2 and, in the absence of star man Mohamed Salah, they could be found wanting.

However, they are still the most successful side in Afcon history, so they should not be written off just yet, and backing both teams to score may be the best approach for their last-16 clash with DR Congo.

Given Egypt shared four goals in each of their group games, it looks likely there will be plenty of goalmouth action.

Both sides have found the net in three of DR Congo's last four games so it could pay to bank on further entertainment when they meet Egypt.

Tip 3 - Ivory Coast draw no bet against Senegal @ 7/5

It would take a leap of faith to back Ivory Coast after their 4-0 humbling at the hands of Equatorial Guinea in their final group match, but the Elephants are not without hope against Senegal.

They made the bold decision to sack manager Jean-Louis Gasset following that defeat and it could yet work in their favour if star men Jeremie Boga and Franck Kessie improve under the new leadership.

The tournament hosts showed some signs of promise in the group stage, even winning the shot count against Equatorial Guinea 22-10, and they could spring a surprise on the reigning champions on Monday.

Senegal won all of their group matches but they certainly did not blow any of their three victims away. They managed only two more shots than Gambia in their opener despite their opponents being reduced to ten men for the entire of the second half, and the Lions of Teranga could be troubled by Ivory Coast.

With Gasset's time at the helm over the home supporters could get back behind the Elephants, which could prove vital given that the host nation has won 11 of the previous 33 editions of the tournament.

Senegal’s threats are obvious so backing Ivory Coast in the draw-no-bet market appeals most.