African Nations Cup: Libya to spoil hosts opening day party
Published:Joint-hosts Equatorial Guinea will go into their first ever African Nations Cup match desperate to delight a home crowd who will bring a party atmosphere to the game.
The 13/8 shots face a very tough task when meeting Libya though, who remained unbeaten in a qualifying campaign that included victory over fellow Group A members Zambia.
Libya are currently 63rd in FIFA’s world rankings, which is very close to the highest ranking they have ever achieved, and they could prove popular with punters this weekend at 6/4 to wreck the host’s tournament inception.
It is 5/1 that the Libyans claim a narrow 1-0 victory, and having conceded just one goal in qualifying, while averaging a goal per game, these odds look particularly attractive.
If you fancy a more emphatic scoreline against the team ranked 150th in the world, it is a big 22/1 for a 3-0 Libya win, while the 40/1 shots for the tournament can also be backed to be winning at half-time and full-time at 4/1.
Elsewhere in Group A, Senegal take on Zambia, with the ‘Lions of Teranga’ priced at 8/13 to take all three points.
Senegal will be eager to get off to a start that will stand them in good stead to better their last African Nations Cup performance in 2008, where they suffered a first round exit.
They were mightily impressive in avoiding defeat in qualifying, winning five and drawing one of their games in a group that included a strong Cameroon side, and punters could take advantage of the 11/10 odds for them to triumph in both halves.
That said, Zambia qualified well themselves, and may attract some interest at a lengthy 4/1, though the superior strength in depth of the Senegalese squad should see them justify their short odds.
