CAF W'Cup Qualifier: Algeria x Guinea, Match Preview, Odds and Predictions(06/06/2024)

Algeria and Guinea—possibly two of the best sides in Group G of the World Cup Qualifiers—will square off at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki on Thursday night.

Algeria x Guinea Team News

Following an unsuccessful AFCON, Algeria dismissed Djamel Belmadi as head coach and named Vladimir Petkovic. Under Petkovic, the squad obtained four points in two (friendly) games. The sixty-year-old coach managed Bordeaux, the Swiss national team, Lazio, Sion, and a few more clubs before coming to Algeria.

Injury has kept one of the team's best defenders, Ramy Bensebaini, out of the next few games. Still, Algeria has many capable backs, so his absence won't significantly impact the squad. Conversely, Riyad Mahrez is one of the players who will undoubtedly be missed; he had a minor injury late in the season and is still not fully recovered.

According to coach Kaba Diawara, Defenceman Rayane Doucouré had to leave the squad. Due to back discomfort, the 23-year-old will miss the next two games against Algeria and Mozambique.

The coach also addressed the Group's predicament, stating that they must do something, particularly in this game, to get the intended outcome. The coach said we are doing everything possible to be at this World Cup.

Head To Head And Previous Matches

Algeria is working to reverse the detrimental trend after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia and Qatar the last two times. Algeria did not advance from Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations before the World Cup Qualifiers. Still, they began performing much better once Vladimir Petkovic was hired as their new coach. The Greens have started this qualifying cycle, holding the top rank after two victories in two rounds.

Guinea has never qualified for a World Cup; they are #76 globally and #15 in the CAF region. They were third in the Group, twelve points behind Morocco, and were not even near appearing in the previous W.C. Qualification cycle. They had a respectable run in the Africa Cup of Nations, however, as they advanced to the Quarter Finals before losing to D.R. Congo 3:1. Guinea began this World Cup qualifying tournament with three points after two rounds, and should they lose against Algeria, they would already be six points behind the leader. To stay up with Algeria, they must so score a win.

Our Predictions

Over 2.5 goals @1.65 on Sky247.ng

Algeria has played with remarkable efficiency lately. They quickly score two or three goals against most African sides. In eight out of the past ten games in all competitions, they scored two or more goals. Their defense has, however, shown several serious weaknesses. They have let up five goals against Bolivia and South Africa in the last two games. They have also gone five games without a clean sheet.

Guinea scored 11 goals in the previous two games. Despite playing against underperforming teams (Bermuda and Vanuatu)., this was a solid offensive performance. Furthermore, they scored at least once in the previous eight games in all competitions, which is quite regular compared to most opponents. Thus, scoring against the not-so-strong Algerian defense is a very probable possibility.

In their head-to-head clashes lately, these sides have scored more than 2.5 goals in four of the last five games. After everything is said, we think the optimal wager for this World Cup Qualifiers match is an over 2.5 goals wager.

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