Defending Africa Cup of Nations champions Algeria are in big trouble. With one matchday left, there’s a huge sense of urgency in their camp to regain their very best form in order to possibly catch the last bus at the Round of 16.
Everyone saw what happened when Ghana, who were one of the favoured sides in the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 odds, were booted out of the tournament for the first time in 16 years by minnows Comoros. And that’s something that the Fennec Foxes will have focused on their minds.
Algeria can still avoid the same fate, though, but they’ll have to dig deep and it’ll be easier said than done since momentum isn’t on their side.
Meanwhile, the top two spots in Groups A to D have already been settled and they’re officially in for the Round of 16, while the third-placers from the said groups will have to wait and hope for their names to be included in the mix.
With one more matchday left in the group stages, allow SBOTOP to paint you a clearer picture of what’s at stake with the latest Africa Cup of Nations 2021 updates.
Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco, and Nigeria take the top group places
There wasn’t any doubt that Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco, and Nigeria are all advancing to the knockouts given that they all boast premium talent.
If we’re going to pick the best out of these topnotchers, it should definitely be Nigeria since they are the only nation who came out of the eliminations with a flawless 3-0 record en route to nine points in Group D.
The Super Eagles started their campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Egypt, but they followed it up with a 3-1 win over Sudan and 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau.
Several European stalwarts have produced for Nigeria, namely Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi, Watford’s William Paul Troost-Ekong, Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, and Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi.
Cameroon and Morocco, on the other hand, finished with seven points each while Senegal topped Group B only by a whisker with five points.
Like Nigeria, Cameroon, Morocco, and Senegal have been backstopped by European talents such as Karl Toko Ekambi, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Andre Onana, Youssef En-Nesyri, Achraf Hakimi, Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye, Bouna Sarr, Keita Balde, Boulaye Dia, Fode Ballo-Toure, and Abdou Diallo.
Among these four, Senegal are the only country who have yet to win it all in this competition and one can argue that this is their best chance to finally claim that elusive title.
Algeria’s repeat bid is hanging by a thread
Algeria are currently at the bottom of Group E ahead of their toughest group game against Ivory Coast on Thursday. This is basically win or go home for the Fennec Foxes.
Not only must they win, but they would also be dependent on the upcoming result between Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone. If they’ll finish third despite a victory over Ivory Coast, Algeria would also be hoping for the other results to go their way for a chance in the Round of 16.
Finding their shooting boots is one way to increase their chances of qualifying since they have a -1 goal difference as of this writing after failing to score in their first two games.
The Fennec Foxes still have talented attackers in Riyad Mahrez, Sofiane Feghouli, Baghdad Bounedjah, and Ismael Bennacer, and all of them have the capability to find the back of the net when needed.
But they know that their work will be cut out for them since Ivory Coast have talented forwards too such as Wilfried Zaha, Sebastien Haller, Franck Kessie, and Nicolas Pepe, while marshaling the back are the likes of Serge Aurier and Eric Bailly.
Egypt hunting for No. 8
Seven-time winners Egypt have reached the knockout stages in five of their last six appearances in this tournament. However, they know within themselves that there’s more work to do since the job is not yet finished.
The Pharoahs navigated through Group D and finished second behind Nigeria for six points, but their performances in their first three games have been underwhelming by their standards.
Egypt started their campaign with a tough 1-0 defeat against Nigeria and they followed it up with back-to-back victories against Guinea-Bisseau and Sudan by scoring a grand total of two goals.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has yet to hit his stride in this tournament and he must do so sooner than later since Egypt’s fate is in his hands.
The winner of Group E is set to face Egypt in the knockout stages, so they will surely keep an eye on tomorrow’s round of matches.
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