David Flower
Dailysports's expert
The sixth round of the World Cup qualifying tournament will take place on Monday at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, where the Côte d'Ivoire national team will host Gambia. I suggest betting on the outcome of this clash with good chances of winning.
Match Preview
Last week, the Côte d'Ivoire team played an away match against Burundi, where they were clear favorites. The hosts offered little resistance, as indicated by the shot statistics of 3:9, with shots on target being 0:3. Everything was decided by a precise strike from Nice forward Evann Guessand in the 16th minute of the match.
After five rounds, the "Elephants" hold the top spot in their qualifying group, although the situation is precarious. Second-placed Gabon trails Emerse Faé's squad by just one point and faces Kenya in the final round. Notably, in three home qualification matches, the Côte d'Ivoire team has taken maximum points with a goal difference of 8:3.
Meanwhile, the Gambia national team had a weak tournament and lost all chances of participating in the 2026 World Cup. Currently, the team has only 4 points and trails second-placed Gabon by eight points.
Gambia's only victory came in a home match against the Seychelles, where they won 5:1. At the same time, last week, Gambia hosted Kenya and drew 3:3. This result must be considered catastrophic, as the hosts led 2:0 and 3:2 during the match but conceded the equalizer in the 90+6 minute.
Probable Lineups
- Côte d'Ivoire: Fofana, Singo, Agbadou, N'Dicka, Opori, Kessi, Seri, Diakité, Krasso, Adingra, Guessand
- Gambia: Jarju; Ceesay, Gomez, Colley, Touray; Han, Adams, Sow, Jallow, Minteh; Barrow
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- Côte d'Ivoire defeated their opponent in the first away match with a score of 2:0
- Côte d'Ivoire has won the last three matches between these teams
- Only one of the last five matches saw both teams score
Prediction
Bookmakers favor Côte d'Ivoire, offering odds of 1.36 for the "Elephants" to win. We believe Côte d'Ivoire will play securely in defense, as a direct ticket to the World Cup is at stake. Our bet is "Both teams to score – No" with odds of 1.60.
