Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations match.
Senegal
Senegal are one of the few favourites that have started this tournament successfully. They have a good defensive line. Niakhaté plays in the English Premier League, Abdou Diallo used to play in PSG, and Coulibaly was a key part of the Napoli defence for many years. Their goalkeeper is Édouard Mendy, who played for Chelsea. Cameroon have problems with attacks, so Senegal will be able to protect their half of the pitch.
Cameroon
Cameroon ended their first game against Guinea in a draw (1:1). Guinea had a lead in the 10th minute. Cameroon were lucky that the Guinean player Camano was sent off in the very end of the first half. Even having 11 players against 10, Cameroon never managed to win. The xG data says that they didn’t even deserve to score a goal. They will have to face a more organized opponent in the second round.
Senegal – Cameroon prediction
Senegal started to defend their title beating Gambia (3:0). Pape Gueye scored the opening goal in the 4th minute. Gambia were down to ten men at the end of the first half, and Lamine Camara scored twice in the second half.
Cameroon haven’t been able to score in the last 4 games against Senegal. I think the attacking line of Cameroon may fail once again.
