Africa Cup of Nations: Ivory Coast v Sudan Odds and Betting Preview

MALABO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA - Tournament favourites Ivory Coast begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign this evening in Malabo with a potentially tough fixture against Sudan.

Ivory Coast are expected to get off to a winning start, and the best industry price on a victory for the Elephants is 2/9 with Paddy Power and William Hill. A draw would be a frustrating result at 11/2 with Stan James, whilst a shock win for Sudan can be backed at 16/1 with BetVictor.

Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast side have only once won the Africa Cup of Nations, but they are the overwhelming favourites to win the title in Gabon next month. The Elephants have often failed to deliver in the major international tournaments, but 2012 looks a great opportunity for the golden generation to finally deliver. Senegal were tipped up as one of their main rivals in this year’s tournament, but after they crashed to a 2-1 defeat to Zambia last night, Ivory Coast really look like they are in a class of their own - on paper at least. They lost on penalties in the final to Egypt in 2006, something Didier Drogba has still not forgotten about, although he did concede in an interview with France Football this week that team without European-based stars are dangerous to rule out. As well as Drogba in attack, the Elephants also boast names such as Kalou, Touré, Gervinho and Zokora.

Sudan failed to qualify for the 2010 tournament, but sealed their berth in this year’s tournament by finishing level on points with Ghana in their qualifying group. Mohamed Abdalla Ahmed’s side will be hoping to create a Zambia-like upset tonight, but the players face a daunting task at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo. Sudan are the only team at the tournament without an overseas-based player which could work to their benefit, although casting a glance at their recent form it looks like the 16/1 quote from BetVictor is about accurate for a team beaten by Palestine last month in the Pan Arab Games.

The preferred scorelines in the bookies’ lists are 2-0 and 3-0 wins for the Ivory Coast, which can be backed at 11/2 and 13/2 respectively with Betfred. Punters expecting a closer game than the match odds suggest could try backing a 1-0 win for the Elephants, which is tempting at 5/1 with bet365, who will refund the match if the game finishes 0-0. Sudan would certainly take a goal-less draw in the context of Group B, which would give them a reasonable chance of edging Burkina Faso out of the competition. Other scorelines to consider are 4-0 and 2-1 wins for Ivory Coast, which are at 12/1 and 8/1 respectively with Sporting Bet. Drogba’s side have won eight of their previous nine matches, including friendlies, but those bettors predicting an upset could throw a few quid on 1-0 to Sudan at 30/1 with Irish firm Paddy Power.

The first goalscorer market is an intriguing one, especially for soccer fans who follow the English Premier League closely. Didier Drogba deserves an enormous amount of respect at the head of the market at 11/4 with bet365, as he bids to leave his mark on the tournament before preparing for a summer exodus to China. Yaya Touré is the next biggest name in the squad and has been integral to Manchester City’s success this season, and he is at 17/2 with bet365. Salomon Kalou would be in with a shout at 9/2 if he makes the starting XI, but Seydou Doumbia deserves to be shorter than 4/1 with Ladbrokes given the season he is having at CSKA. He was recently voted the best player in the Russian Premier League by local journalists and helped his side to earn a glamour tie against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

Ivory Coast look a good bet to be leading at both half-time and full-time at 8/11 with Paddy Power, and the 8/5 that the Elephants win both halves is also worth taking with the same firm, despite their recent woes in the competition.

In other markets Didier Drogba is 10/3 with bet365 to score two or more goals in the game, and 12/1 with the same firm to bag a hat-trick. ‘The Drog’ has scored 51 goals in 79 appearances for his national team and he is the favourite to be the top tournament goalscorer at 7/2 with Paddy Power, having been 5/1 with bwin yesterday.

Ivory Coast v Sudan Match Odds

Ivory Coast v Sudan First Goalscorer Odds

Ivory Coast v Sudan Correct Score Odds