Mauritania - Angola predictions and free betting tips [20/01/2024]

In the second round of Group D at the Africa Cup of Nations, Mauritania and Angola will go head to head.

Mauritania

To no one's surprise, Mauritania lost its first match at the Africa Cup of Nations 0:1 to Burkina Faso. Unable to hold their ground for a draw, they conceded a penalty goal in the 96th minute. Mauritania's ball possession was 38%, with a total of 11 attempts on goal, only four of which were on target. Mauritania had one promising moment early in the second half, but the Burkina Faso goalkeeper easily deflected the shot. An unfortunate penalty was conceded in a non-dangerous area which surely added insult to injury, as they didn't seem to be falling behind in the game per se.

Despite being one of the most progressive teams in Africa, Mauritania lacks standout stars. Most of its players hail from Senegal. It is worth noting Aboubakar Kamara, formerly a Fulham player in the English Premier League, who now plays for Al-Jazira in the Emirates. The team also features Aboubakari Koita, an impressive left winger from Belgian club Sint-Truiden.

An overview of Mauritania's recent games, including friendlies, shows a streak of five consecutive games without victory. On 6th January 2024 they drew 0:0 against Tunisia, while on 21st November 2023 they recorded another 0:0 draw against South Sudan. On 15th November 2023, they endured a 2:0 defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Angola

In a surprising turn of events, Angola held Algeria to a draw in their first match at the Africa Cup of Nations. Mabululu's goal – the result of a rare offensive break and a successful penalty kick in the mid-second half – was the team's only shot on target. It goes without saying that Angola spent much of the game on the defensive, with only 34% ball possession and seven shots on goal.

Under the guidance of Portuguese coach Pedro Gonçalves, Angola is facing certain staffing issues that might affect their performance. Fiorentina striker M’Bala Nzola is out for personal reasons, and replacements by Mabululu or former Sporting CP player Gelson Dala are underwhelming in terms of performance. The team's flankhe is occupied by Zito Luvumbo, Angola’s most valuable player from Italian side Cagliari. Defender Clinton Mata of Lyon has also been absent from the national team due to conflicts with the federation, which is a loss for the team.

Angola hasn't suffered defeat in seven matches if we include friendlies, even though six resulted in draws. They defeated Bahrain 3:0 in a friendly on 10th January 2024 and drew 0:0 against the Democratic Republic of Congo on 6th January 2024. The games against Mauritius and Cabo Verde on 21st and 16th November 2023 respectively also ended in draws. This track record shows Angola might prove a tough opponent for any team, despite their current challenges.

Head-to-head 

The past two matches between these teams ended in 0:0 draws. This was the case in the recent Africa Cup of Nations tournament, as well as during qualifications for the same tournament back in 2019. Prior to this, in a 2018 reverse fixture, Mauritania outperformed Angola 1:0, although it's noteworthy that Angola won their first-ever head-to-head match 4:1.

Prediction for the Mauritania - Angola match

In this match, I’m wagering on a low total of goals. Both teams are desperate to secure points, and after Angola's super successful match against Algeria (in terms of result, as they only had 36% ball possession), they're unlikely to go on the offence. Meanwhile, Mauritania might simply fall short on player execution standards.