World Cup Tips – Who will the top African team be?

Luxembourg vs Senegal

In today’s World Cup tips we’re looking at the African nations heading to Russia and trying to predict which of them will be the best performing nation from the continent. See our World Cup prediction for top African team below.

When Cameroon were narrowly beaten 3-2 in the 1990 World Cup Quarter-Finals, it was claimed that an African team could eventually win the tournament. 28 years later and that claim has yet to be realised, and there are doubts as to whether the five qualifiers from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have sufficient ability to progress into the latter stages of the forthcoming Russian World Cup.

With Ghana and Ivory Coast absent from this tournament, this article examines the merits of five qualifying African nations and discusses which team may be emerge as the best of those participating.

 

World Cup Top African Team Predictions

 

Egypt

World Cup Group A fixtures

The Egyptian team were beaten 2-1 by Cameroon in the 2017 final of the Africa Cup of Nations but they are appearing in the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990. Egypt were clear winners of CAF qualifying Group E losing just the one game but no more than three goals were netted in any of their six matches. It will also be difficult to ignore a team featuring Mo Salah in their starting XI, but it is arguable as to whether they possess the necessary skill and major top-flight experience within the remainder of the squad. Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny is expected to feature yet he cannot be described as a regular for the Gunner’s midfield.

There are decent prospects for Egypt to emerge from Group A with Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia as opposition, but they could then face either Portugal or Spain in the Round of 16 which would be a formidable obstacle to negotiate.

Egypt are priced at 2/1 with Bet Victor to be eliminated in the Round Of 16 and 9/1 at William Hill to be Quarter-Finalists.

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Morocco

World Cup Group B betting tips

Advancing from Group B will be no easy task for Morocco with Spain and Portugal in opposition alongside Iran, and they have yet to progress beyond the Round of 16 in any previous World Cup tournament. Morocco last participated in 1998 but they emerged from their CAF group unbeaten in six matches to qualify for the Russian competition. It should also be noted that Morocco registered six clean sheets in qualifying and won 2-0 in the Ivory Coast during November last year which sealed their passage to this finals tournament.

The Moroccan squad will field many players with notable international experience and will be captained by Juventus defender Medhi Benatia, but they may lack sufficient top-class firepower to advance into the knockout phase this summer so we can’t put them up as a top African team in our World Cup predictions. See our Morocco vs Iran predictions for Morocco’s opening World Cup fixture.

888Sport are offering odds of 5/1 for Morocco featuring in the Round of 16 while they are available at 18/1 with 888Sport for a reaching the Quarter-Finals.

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Nigeria

World Cup 2018 Group D betting tips

Facing Argentina, Iceland and Croatia represents a challenging task for Nigeria in qualifying from Group D yet they were unbeaten on the pitch during a victorious CAF campaign which included a 4-0 defeat of current Africa Cup of Nations title holders Cameroon. A 1-1 draw in Algeria in their final match was overturned into a 3-0 loss after they had fielded an ineligible player. Although Nigeria have yet to progress into the World Cup quarter-finals, they have played in five of the last six tournaments from 1994 onwards and their squad features several players with Premier League experience. It is difficult to assess how youngsters Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho will cope at this level of football but Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Moses should prove reliable midfield players.

Several of their squad players also feature in the Turkish Super Lig and so the Nigerians could prove a difficult team to beat. Whether they can progress from a difficult group is another matter.

Nigeria can be backed at 7/2 with Unibet to reach the last 16 and 12/1 with Bet Victor for a Quarter-Final appearance.

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Tunisia

World Cup Group G betting tips

Despite staying unbeaten in CAF Group A, Tunisia only just qualified for this World Cup via a one-point margin ahead of DR Congo, and they now await fixtures against England, Belgium and Panama in Russia. Tunisia have never emerged from the group stage of any of the World Cups in which they have participated, and they also have a relatively poor recent record in the Africa Cup of Nations. See our Tunisia vs England betting tips for their World Cup opening fixture.

There will be a low level of expectancy regarding Tunisia this summer especially as their squad appears to lack genuine major European league experience. Wahbi Khazri is expected to lead the team and he has proved to be a decent player on loan for Rennes this term, but there may be a lack of quality alongside the former current Sunderland forward.

Belgium and even England should not be fearing Tunisia and odds of 6/1 are available with Unibet for the team progressing into the knockout phase.

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Senegal

World Cup Group H betting tips

World Cup Group H is arguably the most open of the tournament with Senegal featuring alongside Poland, Colombia and Japan. The African team conceded just three goals in six unbeaten games when easily qualifying from their CAF group and they were unfortunate to be beaten on penalties by eventual winners Cameroon in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Senegal previously earned their place in World Cup history by beating France 1-0 in the opening match of the 2002 tournament with a young El Hadji Diouf playing a starring role. They were eventually eliminated in the quarter-finals that year and surprisingly no other Senegal team has qualified for the final stages until the 2018 equivalent. However, their current squad could cause a surprise.

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane is perhaps the most prominent of the Senegal players but Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli is likely to be a central figure in defence while Moussa Konate has proved to be a reliable striker for Ligue 1 team Amiens this term. Expect a strong performance from this Senegal team and they could emerge as the best of the African teams without seriously troubling the favourites for the tournament. Senegal also face the prospect of playing England in the Round of 16.

William Hill are offering 8/1 for them to reach the Quarter-Finals. Betfred have priced Senegal at 9/4 to be eliminated at the Round of 16 phase. Coral are quoting Senegal at 7/5 to qualify from their group.

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World Cup Betting Tip – Top African Team

Senegal at 9/4 – bet £10 to win £32.50 at William Hill.

 

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1 Click this link to William Hill’s sign-up page and register

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