Somalia vs Ivory Coast AFCON Qualifier prediction: Match preview, team news, key stats & h2h

Ivory Coast are looking to make it two consecutive 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier wins when they take on Somalia in their second Group C game on Tuesday evening.

The Elephants got their qualifying campaign off to a flying start with a crucial 2-0 victory against Ghana, courtesy of a debut goal from Malick Yalcouye and Franck Kessie.

Somalia on the other hand lost 2-1 to The Gambia last Friday and now have an uphill battle against one of the strongest teams in African football.

Somalia’s participation in the group stage itself represents an important achievement. They progressed through the preliminary round after eliminating Mauritius on penalties following a goalless aggregate draw, reaching the main qualifying phase for the first time.

Somalia scored only three goals in their 10 World Cup qualifying matches, highlighting the difficulty they have had creating and converting chances against stronger opposition.

Their recent results have also been inconsistent, with a run that includes defeats to Gambia, Mozambique and Algeria alongside a victory over Bahrain and draws against Mauritius.

The Ivorians are now under the management of Hervé Renard, who has returned for a second spell in charge after previously guiding Ivory Coast to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations title.

Can the Ocean Stars get a win to cause one of the biggest upsets here, or will it be yet another win for the Elephants? Here is our predicted outcome for the match.

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The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan

Bilal Njie is one of the players to watch after scoring against The Gambia. He has recently enjoyed a productive spell, with five goals in eight appearances for club and country.

There is also a fitness concern surrounding Abdi Sharif, who was forced off late during the defeat to The Gambia.

This is the only change that is expected from Hendrik Pieter de Jongh’s side.

As for the Elephants, Yalcouye was impressive on his debut and he will retain his spot in the starting XI as well as Nicolas Pepe and Ange Bonny up front.

Kessie’s goal was his 16th for his country and he will start alongside Ibrahim Sangare in midfield. Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande will also start.

This will be the first ever competitive meeting between these two nations.

Both sides have lost twice in their last five matches, though the Ivorians have won the remaining three, compared to Somalia’s two wins against Bahrain and Mauritius.

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Somalia – LWDLW

Ivory Coast – WLWLW

Somalia have scored in their last two competitive matches, including against The Gambia, so they cannot be completely discounted. However, Ivory Coast’s defensive quality makes it difficult to expect both teams to find the net.

The visitors are a more experienced side with enough quality to give them all three points in this match.

Prediction – Ivory Coast to win – PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS MATCH HERE!