African Cup of Nations 2019 Betting Preview

The Africa Cup of Nations makes the switch from the Northern Hemisphere winter to summer for its 2019 renewal. That decision has been warmly welcomed by teams all over Europe as they no longer face the prospect of losing some of their most important players in the middle of the season.

The switch should also be very good news for AFCON as a tournament. It doesn’t have to compete for attention with the major European leagues and will be the only show in town once the Copa América and Women’s World Cup come to their conclusions.

Egypt to Shine Off the Pitch but Maybe Not On It

Egypt are the bookmakers’ favourites to win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Their position at the head of the market was boosted considerably in January when they were confirmed as the tournament hosts following the decision to strip Cameroon of hosting duties.

The fact that Egypt has such strong infrastructure, is used to dealing with large numbers of tourists at this time of year and has ready-made stadiums just waiting to be used made it the clear choice to step in for Cameroon. It is certain to be excellent hosts but the Egypt fans are much more concerned with how things pan out for their team on the pitch.

Egypt are the most successful team in AFCON history and won the tournament the last two times they were hosts. That, coupled with the presence of Mohamed Salah in the prime of his career, has prompted many punters to part with their hard-earned cash and support Egypt.

There is no doubt they rank as one of the leading contenders but Egypt have had their issues at the recent tournament and haven’t lifted the trophy since 2006. In Salah, they have arguably the best player at AFCON 2019 but his supporting cast are nowhere near his level, and we think the home fans will ultimately end up disappointed.

Senegal’s All Round Quality Makes Them Dangerous

The question now is – if not Egypt, then who?

There are several well fancied teams among the extended list of 24 competing over the coming month with Senegal very much among that number. Like Egypt, Senegal’s chances rest heavily on the shoulders of a Liverpool forward in Sadio Mane, but he has a stronger supporting cast to fall back on.

Led by their inspirational and popular manager Aliou Cissé, Senegal have an array of quality players throughout their squad. Their defence is solid and organised, their midfield combative and dynamic with the likes of Idrissa Gana Gueye and Cheikhou Kouyate and their forward line capable of creating chances in the blink of an eye.

Senegal won’t have things all their own way in their group with the stubborn Algeria ready to challenge them for top spot, but they should be able to progress to the knockout stages where this close-knit squad can ride their momentum all the way to AFCON glory at 6/1 with Coral.

If Senegal are to get their hands on the Africa Cup of Nations trophy for the first time, they’ll need several players to step up from a goalscoring perspective. Sadio Mane will surely pull his weight in that regard but the exciting Keita Balde could end up as their most dangerous forward.

He will be a constant nuisance cutting in from the wing but can also score through the middle so consider backing Balde to be the tournament’s top goalscorer at 25/1 with Ladbrokes.

Betting Tips

Senegal to win AFCON 2019 at 6/1 with Coral

Keita Balde to be top goalscorer at 25/1 with Ladbrokes

Now you have finished reading our African Cup of Nations 2019 Betting Preview we hope you know exactly what you want to bet on. Our expert tipster has not only fully researched the best betting tips with the best betting value we’ve also got you the best bookies betting odds. Taking on the online bookies is always a challenge, so you do have to give yourself an edge. Getting the best possible odds is always something you should do, but you can also visit our sister site and get some brilliant free bets, so you are betting with the bookmakers money instead of your own.