2012 Africa Cup of Nations Semi-Final: Mali v Ivory Coast Odds and Betting Preview

LIBREVILLE, GABON - Tournament-favourites Ivory Coast carry the hopes of hundreds of punters this evening when they face Mali in the second Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.

Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast side are heavy favourites in the match betting, as they are best-priced at 1/2 (bet £20 to win £10 profit) with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes to beat Mali in 90 minutes. Obviously a draw at 16/5 with BetVictor would signal extra-time, and possibly penalties later on, whilst a Mali victory is unexpected at 8/1 with bet365.

Mali qualified for the tournament by the skin of their teeth by just edging out Cape Verde, but they have surpassed expectations by making it as far as the semi-finals. The Eagles arrived without star defender Adama Coulibaly, but managed to progress through a weak-looking group that included Botswana and Guinea, before ending the fairytale run of Gabon in the quarters, eliminating the co-hosts on penalties. Cheick Diabaté performed well in qualifying and was the man to silence the fervent home crowd with a left-footed equaliser late on against Gabon, and he will be hoping to start against Ivory Coast tonight, possibly at the expense of the talented Modibo Maïga, who has failed to net in the tournament thus far.

Ivory Coast finally reassured their fans and backers alike by comfortably beating Equatorial Guinea in their quarter-final, with Drogba scoring his second and third goals of the tournament to send the Elephants through after a 3-0 romp. François Zahoui’s side are currently the highest-ranked team in Africa according to FIFA, and many expect them to seal their first Africa Cup of Nations since 1992. Drogba is particularly keen to atone for 2006, in which he missed the first spot kick in the penalty shootout in the Cairo final, and also this could be his last major tournament with his national side before a possible move to China or even back to Marseille. The Elephants are 7/8 with Bodog to win the tournament, and many expect them to be playing Ghana in Sunday’s climax. Fans will be hoping that Lokeren goalkeeper Boubacar Barry is passed fit to play the 90 minutes.

With Ivory Coast fancied to win the game by experts, punters will also be keen to back the Elephants in the correct score market. 1-0 and 2-0 successes for Ivory Coast can be backed at 5/1 and 11/2 respectively with Blue Square, whilst 2-1 is also given a decent chance at 9/1 with bet365, who will refund losing correct score bets if the game finishes in a ‘bore draw’ (0-0). 3-1 to Ivory Coast is 12/1 from 14/1 with bet365 after a being nibbled at in the market, whilst Mali would probably be happy enough with a 1-1 draw at 8/1 with William Hill. A 1-0 win for the Eagles would send them to dreamland, and is at a high of 16/1 with bet365, but they cannot be trusted to keep a clean sheet against the Elephants, especially with Salomon Kalou back in action.

Didier Drogba leads the tournament goalscorer charts with three goals, and ‘The Drog’ is a strong favourite to score first at 7/2 with Paddy Power. With Kalou set to start for the Elephants, he is also right up there with his Chelsea team-mate in the betting at 11/2 with Blue Square, whilst Arsenal’s Gervinho is rated as a 13/2 chance with Coral. Wilfried Bony is unlikely to start for Ivory Coast, despite being slashed into 5/1 by bet365, and Mali’s best hope is Maïga at 20/1 with bet365, although many would prefer to side with Barcelona’s experienced midfielder Seydou Keita at 25/1 with the same firm.

Ivory Coast are best-priced at 5/4 with Ladbrokes to lead the semi-final at half-time and full-time, and it is 13/8 with William Hill that both teams score inside the 90 minutes. Drogba is certain to be the centre of attention once again, and the legendary 33-year-old is 11/2 with Paddy Power to score two or more goals again, or 18/1 with bet365 to notch an emphatic hat-trick.

The semi-final kicks-off at 8.00pm local time on Wednesday 8 February, which is 7.00pm in the UK. Punters can watch it live on British Eurosport.

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