Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau will battle it out at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara on Thursday in their second game of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.
Neither team was able to secure maximum points in their opening encounters, and as a result, they will be keen to kick-start their campaign with a win here.
Match preview:
Equatorial Guinea played out a 1-1 draw against Nigeria in their curtain-raiser on Sunday. Juan Micha’s men took the lead in the 36th minute through Iban Salvador, but they were pegged back almost immediately by Victor Osimhen.
As things stand, Los Elefantes are in third place in Group A, level on points with Nigeria and two points behind leaders Ivory Coast.
Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, suffered a comprehensive 2-0 defeat against tournament hosts Ivory Coast at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe on Saturday evening.
Baciro Cande’s men fell behind to Seko Fofana’s early opener, after which Jean-Philippe Krasso sealed the deal just shy of the hour mark. The Wild Dogs are yet to pick up a point in Group A so far and currently sit bottom of the group.
Equatorial Guinea is unbeaten in their last 11 outings across all competitions. They are now looking for a much-needed three points to confirm their place in the last 16.
Their last six matches have produced two wins, four draws, and no losses, including their 1-1 draw against Nigeria in their first AFCON match.
Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, has won only one of their previous six matches and has lost three. The Wild Dogs have conceded eight goals in their last two matches and will need to tighten up at the back to avoid defeat against Equatorial Guinea.
Team news:
Ouparine Djoco is expected to feature between the sticks for Guinea-Bissau, having usurped Jonas Mendes in the battle for the number one spot.
Meanwhile, Opa Sangante could be dropped to the bench following his poor performance against Ivory Coast in their previous match.
For Equatorial Guinea, Federico Bikoro is set to make his 49th international cap and move within a game of half a century of appearances.
Moreover, Iban Salvador has now scored six times for Equatorial Guinea. His opener against Nigeria was his sixth goal, with only Emilio Nsue finding the back of the net on more occasions of the 27-man AFCON squad.
Possible lineups:
Equatorial Guinea: (4-2-3-1)
Owono;
Ndong, Coco, Orozco, Akapo;
Ganet, Bikoro;
Buyla, Machin, Salvador;
Nsue
Guinea-Bissau: (4-3-3)
Djoco;
Encada, Sangante, Djalo, Cande;
Bikel, Semedo, Cassama;
Mane, Balde, Rodrigues
Prediction: Equatorial Guinea 2-1 Guinea-Bissau
Both teams showed good accounts of themselves in their respective opening matches, and we are expecting a keenly-contested affair here. However, we predict Equatorial Guinea to win 2-1 come the end of the 90 minutes.