Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches in the fifth round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification will be played on Saturday at the "Allassane Ouattara" Stadium in Abidjan, where Guinea will host the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Here's a prediction with strong chances of success based on the number of goals.
Match Preview
Guinea was placed in a tough group at the Africa Cup of Nations, facing Cameroon, Gambia, and Senegal. Despite the challenging competition, the "Elephants of the Nation" managed to navigate through, finishing in third place. In their first knockout match, Guinea triumphed 1-0 over Equatorial Guinea, but they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the DRC, losing 1-3.
In the World Cup qualification campaign, Guinea played four matches, winning only two, and with six points, they currently sit fourth in Group G. The qualifiers for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations also started poorly for Guinea with two defeats. However, they bounced back strongly, beating Ethiopia 7-1 in their next two matches. At present, Guinea is in second place in their group.
On the other hand, the Democratic Republic of Congo performed admirably at the Africa Cup of Nations, drawing three matches in the group stage against Zambia, Morocco, and Tanzania. Despite the draws, DRC finished second in their group. They then managed to knock out one of the tournament favorites, Egypt, in a penalty shootout.
The "Leopards" were only stopped by Côte d'Ivoire in the semifinals and lost to South Africa in the third-place match. In the World Cup qualifiers for 2026, after four matches, DRC is in third place with seven points. The team has already secured its spot in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, winning all four of its qualifying matches.
Probable Line-ups
- Guinea: Kamara, Silla, Konté, Sou, Diakité, Touré, Kamara, Kamano, Sissoko, Silla, Guirassy
- DR Congo: Berto, Kalulu, Mbemba, Inonga, Masuaku, Mutussami, Kayembe, Bongonda, Pikel, Elia, Essende
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- DR Congo has won the last four meetings between these teams.
- In three out of the last four matches, the "Both Teams to Score" bet was successful.
- The "Total Over 2.5" bet has been successful in three out of the last four meetings.
Prediction
DR Congo essentially plays a friendly match here, but it is unlikely they will gift three points to the host. Guinea needs the points more, so our bet for this match is "Guinea to win with a handicap (0)" with odds of 1.73.
