The Africa Cup of Nations final will be played on Friday as Senegal and Algeria square it out. Here is a look at some of the interesting things to watch out for. Bet on AFCON here.
Golden Boot race to go to the wire
Odion Ighalo is leading the race for the Golden Boot but unfortunately, Nigeria will now be fighting for third place after losing to Algeria in the semi-final. His penalty pulled him clear of the chasing pack after netting four times so far. Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez and Adam Ounas, as well as Senegal’s Sadio Mane, are just one behind Ighalo with three goals each. So is Cedric Bakambu, only that he is out of the tournament leaving the four gentlemen to take the Golden Boot race right down to the wire.
Algeria out to win 100% of their AFCON fixtures
Algeria have had an excellent tournament so far after winning all their matches on their way to the finals. They began the tournament in Group C alongside fellow finalist Senegal where they managed to win all their three Group matches including their fixture with Senegal. They cruised through the knock out stages beating everyone on their way including Nigeria. They are the only team to have won all their fixtures and a win against Senegal in the final will be the icing on the cake.
Senegal to avenge group stage loss?
Senegal have fought hard to find themselves in the final after a very long time. Algeria will be their next opponents and this promises to be a very exciting fixture. The two teams began their tournament in Group C alongside Kenya and Tanzania. Senegal lost narrowly in their group encounter as the Desert Foxes took command of the group. Senegal have an opportunity to avenge their loss here and what better way than to try and win against Algeria in the final. They have the quality in their ranks to cause an upset and you can expect them to give everything.
Both Teams to Score NO
Encounters between Senegal and Algeria have been known to be sturdy affairs with each team working hard not to lose. They have been extremely competitive with their defences sweating it out to keep things tight at the back. Three of their last four encounters have witnessed Both Teams to Score No and we see a similar situation happening here. After all, this has been the case in all of Senegal’s last five matches and in three of Algeria’s last five.
Low stadium turnout
Finally, we can expect to see a low turnout in the stadium following Egypt’s’ exit from the tournament in the quarter-finals. All other matches that have not involved the host nation have seen empty stadiums and we don’t expect any different when Senegal and Algeria clash in the final.