Algeria - Angola predictions and free betting tips [15/01/2024]

In Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations, the first-round matches will take place over two days. Algeria and Angola will face off earlier and we'll discuss this confrontation here in this publication. Tomorrow, Burkina Faso and Mauritania will play each other, but we'll analyse that matches a little later.

Predicted Line-ups

Algeria: Mandrea; Atal, Mandi, Ait Nouri, Bensebaini; Bentaleb, Feghouli, Chaibi, Aouar, Mahrez, Slimani

Angola: Da Cruz; Carneiro, Buatu, Gaspar, Fredi; Keliano, Milson, Gelson, Augustu; Mabululu, Luvumbo

Algeria

The North African team arrived in Côte d'Ivoire well-stocked and with 5 consecutive victories, which include both official matches and friendlies.

Qualifying for the CAN final tournament was no real difficulty for Djamel Belmadi's players as they confidently secured 1st place in the qualifying Group F, only drawing with Tanzania. Algeria clinched the silver medals at the African Nations Championship, losing on penalties to Senegal. However, both teams did not have their main line-ups.

Now comes the qualification for the 2026 World Cup, where Algeria successfully kicked off, overpowering Somalia, and then Mozambique. Subsequently, there were several preparatory matches for the Africa Cup of Nations, where Djamel Belmadi tested the reserves and then the main team. Overall, Algeria looked really impressive in their encounters with Togo and Burundi U23.

They have a strong squad in Côte d'Ivoire. Their attack is powerful, albeit with Amin Guiri injured, who is likely to return home as soon as a replacement is found for him. In top shape, Riyad Mahrez, with Islam Slimani who should be helpful, after scoring in 3 out of the previous 4 Algeria matches. The midfield is fine, in fact one could say versatile, as Belmadi has plenty to bring off the bench.

Algeria has arrived as one of the favourites of the Africa Cup of Nations and found itself in a simple group where it needs to secure 1st place. There should be no issues for the North African team in their match against Angola, however, as this is the start of the tournament, many players might need to warm-up, so it's conceivable that Algeria's first match of this tournament will be an introductory one.

Angola

The team is managed by Pedro Gonçalves, whose contract with the Angolan Football Federation ends this June. Hence, the performance at the Africa Cup of Nations will determine whether local officials will seek to extend an agreement with him or not.

Under the Portuguese specialist, Angola plays in a complex manner, implementing many tactical concepts, but this earned them a place in the final tournament of the Africa Cup. The squad managed by Gonçalves struggled to qualify, where Ghana took 1st place, while Angola could have conceded 2nd place to CAR, however luckily, the players of Gonçalves won both matches against their direct competitor.

Angola's line-up is familiar, with almost all leaders arriving in Côte d'Ivoire, even injured Núrio Fortuna, who may well come off and play for the team, but probably not in the first match of the Africa Cup of Nations. It's clear that again Angolan players will consider how to act smartly from defence while remembering about the attack, where Zito Luvumbo is available and Milson operates skillfully in midfield.

Angola is a difficult team that will cause a lot of trouble for Algeria, but it will still be challenging for them to outplay one of the favourites of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Prediction for the Game: Algeria - Angola

I'll choose to bet on the exact score of the match. I think that Algeria will win with a minimal difference of one goal, and to specify, I would place a bet on the 1:0 result and total under 1.5 total goals scored in this match.

Prediction for ththmatch Result

You could consider a bet on Algeria's victory, but the odds for this option are not particularly good.