ACN 2013 - Outrights

[Evertonboy]

Cape Verde to win Group A @ 20/1 must be a late Christmas present from 188Bet. Officially the best team in the group on FIFA rankings so I can't understand why they are the clear outsiders in what is a relatively even group.

[McNasara]

ACN 2013 - Outrights

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights CAF (the Confederation of African Football) has confirmed the 9 January deadline for final squad submissions ahead of the ACN 2013, until then :)

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights Squad lists are finally confirmed... So you can find all relevant information about all teams in group threads. Time for betting :cigar:cigar:cigar

[Neubs]

Re: ACN 2013 - Group B I think Ghana win Group B to an odd 1.50 is very Nice. Maybe the poor side from Ghana is the Defence. They had none goalkepper in international format. But the attacking side from Ghana is quite good. I think this is in this group the key to win.

[redkite]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights Morocco/Mali/Zambia/Ivory Coast group winners 4 trebles and a 4-fold , Mali to win outright :D

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights

Morocco/Mali/Zambia/Ivory Coast group winners 4 trebles and a 4-fold ' date=' Mali to win outright :D[/quote'] Can we see some reasoning?

[Fedar]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights McNasara, isn't our recognized specialist in African football, i.e. you, going to share some of his insights regarding this tournament?! :cheers I remember you had amazing hit rate during the qualifiers for this tournament, so I believe you have some surprises for us. Although it seems very-very tough and tight tournament in first sight. Yet, I believe that there will be some boxing bags in CAN and my main suspects are Niger and Ethiopia. Expecting a big surprise from teams like Cabo Verde and DR Congo. Anyway, I will share more insights within the enxt two days.

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights South Africa - They are the hosts of the tournament, and that's their biggest advantage (but remember they became the first hosts to fail to advance out of their group on WC 2010). Igesund is most successful coach in South African domestic football, but he doesn't have a lot of experience at the international level as evidenced by the average results in friendly matches. Bafana Bafana have a few good and talented players, but the biggest problem is a missing former captain Steven Pienaar who retired. Their goal is semi-finals, but I really doubt it. --------------- Morocco - Coach Taoussi has started a completely new era for Atlas Lions. He took over the team after the defeat in the first match against Mozambique and with 4:0 at home in the return leg qualified for the tournament. They probably have the best team in the group, but it is impossible not to mention their absences. Chamakh, Tarrabt, Kharja and Boussoufa have combined for 186 caps and 38 goals for national team and all are out.On the other hand, current group of 23 players count a total of 208 appearances and 12 goals. Their primary goal is to advance from the group and it's possible, but after that I don't see good results for them. --------------- Angola - There is no doubt that the experienced players who play abroad will be their main strength. Although the team played seven friendly games without defeat in the last two months, there are some bad things for them too.In fact more than half of the players play in the domestic league which ended in November. Also their coach Ferrin is the only one from South America and I'm not sure how he will adapt to the team in the tournament. A lot will depend on the first game, but I don't believe that Palancas Negras would be able to qualify for the quarter-finals which is their goal. --------------- Cape Verde - Blue Sharks have become the smallest country (population just over 500,000) to compete at the Nations Cup and it will be very interesting to watch them, especially in the opening game in front of some 90,000 fans. After a surprising elimination Cameroon, they are the only debutants in the tournament and it is very difficult to assess their capabilities. Local trainer, a strong defense and relatively young team are their main features. Although they're the best FIFA ranked team in this group, several key players are out and it can be probelm for them. ____________________________ Fairly equal group, with no big favorites to win the tournament, looking from my point of view. So that only valuable bet for me is the most underestimated team. my bets from Group A ACN winner - no Group winner - no Progress from the group - Cape Verde @4.50 unibet low stake

[Complyordie]

Was looking at the ACON form in LBs last weekend & the bet that stuck out to me was Maiga to be top ACON goalscorer (amongst the PL particpants) at 12/1. I was amazed to see Adebayor was 4/1 (given the group that Togo are in) and that Moses is 6s given he may well be played wide? My ACON knowledge is not great but to me Maiga has a fairly kind group & should be hungry given the lack of football he has had at WHU.

[soundingstylish]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights I promised myself I wouldn't get involved in any outrights but this is far, far too big. African Cup of Nations Top Goalscorer: Tresor Mputu @ 80s with bet365 80/1 is mad value. DR Congo are obviously, naturally, written off but this time round I think they can be real darkhorses. Mbokani will be the focal point of their side but lurking just behind him will be this lad, Tresor Mputu. The man is a machine! He's scored goals wherever he has been however his maverick attitude has stopped him from making any big money moves to Europe. He's exciting and makes defenders commit themselves in positions they don't like being pulled into which will naturally give him space to get shots off. I think DR Congo progress from their group and I reckon two goals will secure an each-way payout. More than capable. Le Roy has talked highly of Mputu in interviews, even more than Mbokani. Giving him the captain's armband echos that.

[soundingstylish]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights There is two other players I will be interested in backing for first-goalscorer in individual games are Deo Kanda (DR Congo) and Youssef Msakni (Tunisia). They are both exciting wingers capable of producing moments of magic others can't. I've not seen a lot of Kanda I must admit but Msakni I've seen a lot. He's just signed a big money contract with Lekhwiya in Qatar so he comes into this confident. In warm-up friendlies, everytime he received the ball in the final-third he'd have a pop so he's worth chancing if the odds are favorable.

[kevshat]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights Tournament preview: 1pt ew Mali to win African Nations Cup 14/1 Blue Square (1/2 1-2) The side I like in this tournament are Mali. They came through qualifying very impressively beating Botswana 7-1 over two legs and they have a decent strike pairing in Modibo Maiga and Cheick Diabate and that is important with this tournament becoming more high scoring in recent renewals. Mali have experience all over the park which should benefit them and having made the semi finals last year I think they have the credentials to go a couple of steps further this year and finally land their first CAN title. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/african-nations-cup-betting-mali-can-finally-land-their-first-african-title-in-south-africa

[kevshat]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights 1pt ew Manucho Top Tournament Goalscorer 25/1 Ladbrokes (1/4 1-3) One man who I think is excellent value in the top goalscorer market is the Real Valladolid striker Manucho. Even though Angola didn’t get out of their group last year Manucho was still one of the joint top scorers in the competition and that shows the potential he has here, particularly given that Angola have every chance of coming out of a wide open Group A. Manucho has been in decent nick in Spain this season so he comes into this tournament with his confidence up and he looks decent value at 25/1. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/african-nations-cup-betting-manucho-can-lead-the-goal-charts-in-south-africa

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights Ghana - Black Stars made the semifinals of three of the last four tournaments, but they’ve failed to win the competition since 1982. They're one of the biggest favorites (Ghana won the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup and have five of the winners in this year's squad), but note that they'll be without some important players (Muntari & KP Boateng from Milan and brothers Ayew from Marseille). Although midfield is a very strong, there is no many experienced internationals in defense and there is only one player who possessing more than five goals for NT. Their goal is to win the long-awaited title, but I think that semifinals is a realistic range again. --------------- Mali - They were surprise bronze medal winners last year and come into this tournament with their highest world ranking in history. The Eagles have a good coach and a good group of players, so it seems that another semifinal is achievable. The team will be without several regular players (midfielders mostly), but this is not a major concern for them. Actually, the situation is very bad in Mali, where the civil war is in progress. They are not known for their strong mentality anyway, even when you take into consideration disastrous situation at their home, we can't be sure what will be the performance of the team. It all depends on their approach. --------------- DR Congo - Although they have a solid team with some great individuals (Mbokani, Mputu, Mulumbu...), the biggest advantage of the Leopards is coach Le Roy. He is record for the seventh time in the final tournament with some national team and has always managed to get his teams past the opening round. However, like all the teams in this group and they have their own problems. Congolese FA has not promised adequate bonuses and other conditions, so it was great controversy last few days. Players didn't trained, and there is mentioned the resignation of the famous French coach. Yet it seems that everything looks fine for them in the last minute. --------------- Niger - The Menas made their debut last year when they left the tournament without a single point. They again had good fortune in the 2013 qualifiers and surprisingly return for a second successive ACN. Now have almost all the players who played last year and a better coach Rohr, who was taking Bordeaux to the UEFA Cup Final 1996. Their play is based on the captain Maazou and perhaps have a better chance to win some points than last year, but I still believe that they are complete underdogs and would be at the bottom of the group. Simply they're not known football nation and don't have many players who have played or are playing outside Africa. ____________________________ Niger is the only outsider here. Ghana (important missings) is the favorite for winning the group, but not the tournament, IMO. Mali and DR Congo will fight for the another place that could easily lead to semi-finals. Both teams come in a bad mood, a better and stronger team on the mental plan will go further. Mali is the better team, but not as much as bookmakers are predicting. my bets from Group B ACN winner - no Group winner - no Progress from the group - DR Congo @5.50 unibet low stake

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights Zambia - Surprising champion of last year's tournament still has all important players available. However it will be very difficult for them to repeat that success, because no one should underestimate them now. Only after penalties against Uganda they are to qualify for South Africa, but didn't scored a single goal in the last four preliminary matches. Defensive play with fast counter attacks (because lack of quality in midfild) is way they work. I believe that semifinals should be unreachable for Chipolopolo this year. --------------- Nigeria - Their coach Keshi has a chance to become the second man to win ACN as both a player and coach. After failure on previous tournament, expectations are high. However, several experienced players (mostly the strikers) are out and the team consists of a lot of young and inexperienced players (six from the domestic league). It's a risk for the Super Eagles, especially when they will play in the knockout stage, as I guess they have to qualify from the group. Top three is their goal, but I'm not sure about that. --------------- Burkina Faso - Unlike Nigeria, the Stallions have a very strong midfield with a lot of players who play in the French Ligue 1. They didn't took any points last year, but with a new controversial coach Put and with some good results during the preliminary period they'll try to qualify from the group. In my opinion, the team is talented and much better than its reputation. If their attack would be well organized they are able to make some surprises. It all depends on their approach and mood. --------------- Ethiopia - Fifty years after winning the competition, the Walias make a long awaited ACN return after 31 years thanks to the away goals rule in both qualifying rounds. Dominated by home-based players and lacking experience at this level of competition, they are expected to struggle, even if they have managed a major improvement in form. They are ambitious and unknown quality, but the bottom of the group is their realistic range at the moment in addition to much better rivals. ____________________________ Here, the bookies are in the same direction as me. Nigeria and Zambia are the favorites, although Burkina Faso could be potentially surprise. Ethiopia has minimal chances to qualify from the group. However, none of these teams is not strong enough to win the trophy, IMO. No bets from this group. my bets from Group C ACN winner - no Group winner - no Progress from the group - no

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights Ivory Coast - The Elephants have a lot of experienced and top players, on paper - they are the best team in this tournament. However, I'm not sure how good for them is that the new coach is Lamouchi (whom this is the first coaching job). They are the favorites for the title, but I don't like their odds because this is a very unpredictable competition where favorites often have no value to me. --------------- Algeria - The Fennec Foxes have changed quite a team, but it seems that the quality is not lacking. A lot of experienced players is not on the list, but because there are some young and talented players who play throughout Europe. Also, their great strength is experienced coach Halilhodzic. After failing to qualify for Equatorial Guinea-Gabon in 2012, they are eager to make a good result. --------------- Tunisia - They have qualified for 11-straight tournaments, getting out of their group eight times. And they will be without a lot of international players who play for European clubs, but looking at past results don't seems that the team has high quality. There are some talented players and former player Trabelsi as coach, but I'm not optimistic about them, primarily because they are in a very tough group. --------------- Togo - The Sparrow Hawks are barely gone through qualifications, but because they get very tough opponents in the group stage already. Togo has never advanced beyond the group stage and good chance are it to be the same this year. Star player Adebayor and nine players who are based in France represent a solid team, but definitely the weakest in the group. ____________________________ I'm late with this group, which is definitely the most difficult in the tournament. My initial decision was that Algeria can win the title, but after the first round I like odds for their progress from the group of death. Maybe later I'll bet on the winner, good luck fellas my bets from Group D ACN winner - Group winner - Progress from the group - Algeria @4.00 Ladbrokes low stake

[soundingstylish]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights

There is two other players I will be interested in backing for first-goalscorer in individual games are Deo Kanda (DR Congo) and Youssef Msakni (Tunisia). They are both exciting wingers capable of producing moments of magic others can't. I've not seen a lot of Kanda I must admit but Msakni I've seen a lot. He's just signed a big money contract with Lekhwiya in Qatar so he comes into this confident. In warm-up friendlies' date=' everytime he received the ball in the final-third he'd have a pop so he's worth chancing if the odds are favorable.[/quote'] Wonderful goal from Msakni. Decent start.

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights

South Africa - They are the hosts of the tournament, and that's their biggest advantage (but remember they became the first hosts to fail to advance out of their group on WC 2010). Igesund is most successful coach in South African domestic football, but he doesn't have a lot of experience at the international level as evidenced by the average results in friendly matches. Bafana Bafana have a few good and talented players, but the biggest problem is a missing former captain Steven Pienaar who retired. Their goal is semi-finals, but I really doubt it. --------------- Morocco - Coach Taoussi has started a completely new era for Atlas Lions. He took over the team after the defeat in the first match against Mozambique and with 4:0 at home in the return leg qualified for the tournament. They probably have the best team in the group, but it is impossible not to mention their absences. Chamakh, Tarrabt, Kharja and Boussoufa have combined for 186 caps and 38 goals for national team and all are out.On the other hand, current group of 23 players count a total of 208 appearances and 12 goals. Their primary goal is to advance from the group and it's possible, but after that I don't see good results for them. --------------- Angola - There is no doubt that the experienced players who play abroad will be their main strength. Although the team played seven friendly games without defeat in the last two months, there are some bad things for them too.In fact more than half of the players play in the domestic league which ended in November. Also their coach Ferrin is the only one from South America and I'm not sure how he will adapt to the team in the tournament. A lot will depend on the first game, but I don't believe that Palancas Negras would be able to qualify for the quarter-finals which is their goal. --------------- Cape Verde - Blue Sharks have become the smallest country (population just over 500,000) to compete at the Nations Cup and it will be very interesting to watch them, especially in the opening game in front of some 90,000 fans. After a surprising elimination Cameroon, they are the only debutants in the tournament and it is very difficult to assess their capabilities. Local trainer, a strong defense and relatively young team are their main features. Although they're the best FIFA ranked team in this group, several key players are out and it can be probelm for them. ____________________________ Fairly equal group, with no big favorites to win the tournament, looking from my point of view. So that only valuable bet for me is the most underestimated team. my bets from Group A ACN winner - no Group winner - no Progress from the group - Cape Verde @4.50 unibet low stake

Cape Verde have qualified :clap:clap

Ivory Coast - The Elephants have a lot of experienced and top players, on paper - they are the best team in this tournament. However, I'm not sure how good for them is that the new coach is Lamouchi (whom this is the first coaching job). They are the favorites for the title, but I don't like their odds because this is a very unpredictable competition where favorites often have no value to me. --------------- Algeria - The Fennec Foxes have changed quite a team, but it seems that the quality is not lacking. A lot of experienced players is not on the list, but because there are some young and talented players who play throughout Europe. Also, their great strength is experienced coach Halilhodzic. After failing to qualify for Equatorial Guinea-Gabon in 2012, they are eager to make a good result. --------------- Tunisia - They have qualified for 11-straight tournaments, getting out of their group eight times. And they will be without a lot of international players who play for European clubs, but looking at past results don't seems that the team has high quality. There are some talented players and former player Trabelsi as coach, but I'm not optimistic about them, primarily because they are in a very tough group. --------------- Togo - The Sparrow Hawks are barely gone through qualifications, but because they get very tough opponents in the group stage already. Togo has never advanced beyond the group stage and good chance are it to be the same this year. Star player Adebayor and nine players who are based in France represent a solid team, but definitely the weakest in the group. ____________________________ I'm late with this group, which is definitely the most difficult in the tournament. My initial decision was that Algeria can win the title, but after the first round I like odds for their progress from the group of death. Maybe later I'll bet on the winner, good luck fellas my bets from Group D ACN winner - Group winner - Progress from the group - Algeria @4.00 Ladbrokes low stake

Algeria have already failed, even though they didn't play that bad.

[McNasara]

Re: ACN 2013 - Outrights

Ghana - Black Stars made the semifinals of three of the last four tournaments, but they’ve failed to win the competition since 1982. They're one of the biggest favorites (Ghana won the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup and have five of the winners in this year's squad), but note that they'll be without some important players (Muntari & KP Boateng from Milan and brothers Ayew from Marseille). Although midfield is a very strong, there is no many experienced internationals in defense and there is only one player who possessing more than five goals for NT. Their goal is to win the long-awaited title, but I think that semifinals is a realistic range again. --------------- Mali - They were surprise bronze medal winners last year and come into this tournament with their highest world ranking in history. The Eagles have a good coach and a good group of players, so it seems that another semifinal is achievable. The team will be without several regular players (midfielders mostly), but this is not a major concern for them. Actually, the situation is very bad in Mali, where the civil war is in progress. They are not known for their strong mentality anyway, even when you take into consideration disastrous situation at their home, we can't be sure what will be the performance of the team. It all depends on their approach. --------------- DR Congo - Although they have a solid team with some great individuals (Mbokani, Mputu, Mulumbu...), the biggest advantage of the Leopards is coach Le Roy. He is record for the seventh time in the final tournament with some national team and has always managed to get his teams past the opening round. However, like all the teams in this group and they have their own problems. Congolese FA has not promised adequate bonuses and other conditions, so it was great controversy last few days. Players didn't trained, and there is mentioned the resignation of the famous French coach. Yet it seems that everything looks fine for them in the last minute. --------------- Niger - The Menas made their debut last year when they left the tournament without a single point. They again had good fortune in the 2013 qualifiers and surprisingly return for a second successive ACN. Now have almost all the players who played last year and a better coach Rohr, who was taking Bordeaux to the UEFA Cup Final 1996. Their play is based on the captain Maazou and perhaps have a better chance to win some points than last year, but I still believe that they are complete underdogs and would be at the bottom of the group. Simply they're not known football nation and don't have many players who have played or are playing outside Africa. ____________________________ Niger is the only outsider here. Ghana (important missings) is the favorite for winning the group, but not the tournament, IMO. Mali and DR Congo will fight for the another place that could easily lead to semi-finals. Both teams come in a bad mood, a better and stronger team on the mental plan will go further. Mali is the better team, but not as much as bookmakers are predicting. my bets from Group B ACN winner - no Group winner - no Progress from the group - DR Congo @5.50 unibet low stake

:(