Angola - Namibia predictions and free betting tips [27/01/2024]

Today, in the first playoff match of the 1/8 finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, the teams from Angola and Namibia will compete.

Angola national team

The Angolan national team has sensationally and confidently taken first place in their group in the Africa Cup of Nations, leaving behind the strong Algerian team. In the last match of the group stage on 23 January 2024, the Angolans defeated the Burkina Faso team with a score of 2:0, showing excellent counterattack play and scoring goals in the 39th and 90th minutes courtesy of Mabululu and Zini. In the second round match, Angola sensationally defeated Mauritania with a score of 3:2, scoring three goals in 20 minutes. Gelson Dala of Al-Wahra stood out particularly, bagging a brace, and Gilberto, who scored the winning goal. In the first group stage match, the Angolans managed to hold a draw against Algeria, thanks to a accurate penalty shot from Mabululu.

Under the guidance of Portuguese coach Pedro Goncalves, the Angolan national team is facing some personnel issues, but they have shown great play, defeating prominent opponents as underdogs without two former key players: Mabala Nzola and defender Clinton Mata due to conflicts with the federation. Despite this, players like Gelson Dala, Luvumbu and Mabululu have expressed themselves well in the last matches.

Angola has not lost any of their last 9 matches, including friendlies, although most of them ended in a draw - 6. These results, including impressive performances in the Africa Cup of Nations, suggest that the Angolan national team can be a serious competitor in the tournament.

Namibian national team

Namibia's national team has sensationally made it to the 1/8 finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, having demonstrated unexpected results. In the final match of the group stage, the team managed to seize a 0:0 draw against the strong Malian team, holding their defence for the entire match and not creating significant moments in the attack. But thanks to their victory over Tunisia with a score of 1:0, Namibia was able to take third place in Group E and advance to the playoffs as one of the best teams that took third places in the tournament.

The Namibian national team demonstrated impressive play in the Africa Cup of Nations, surprising experts and fans. In the first game, they sensationally defeated the group favourite - Tunisia. Otto's goal in the 88th minute brought them the victory. The Namibians did not yield in the game, actively used counterattacks and could have scored more goals. However, in the next match they lost to South Africa with a score of 0:4, showing weak play, especially in the first half.

Prior to the start of the tournament, Namibia had only one victory in the last 6 months, and they showed uneven results in the qualifying matches and friendlies. The team, led by Namibian football legend Collin Benjamin, showed fight and persistence despite the absence of known players. Most of the national team players perform in Namibian championships and those of neighbouring countries, which makes their success at the Africa Cup of Nations even more noticeable and impressive.

Head-to-Head

In head-to-head meetings between the Angolan and Namibian national teams, history shows interesting results. The teams last met in a friendly match on 22 December 2011, which ended in a goalless draw. The same result was in another friendly match held on 4 April 2009 - also 0:0. However, the most memorable clash between these teams remains the match in the Africa Cup of Nations on 12 February 1998, which ended with a high score of 3:3.

Angola - Namibia match forecast

Namibia miraculously made it to the ACN playoffs, defeating unstable Algeria in the first round and not scoring again, taking second place among the lucky losers. Unlike Angola, who strongly passed the entire segment and, contrary to predictions, came out of the group from the first place. I believe that the Namibians have already jumped higher than their heads and will not be able to resist the more organised Angolan team.