Cameroon came back from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Tunisia and set up a crunch African Cup of Nations quarter-final meeting with Egypt after finishing second in Group D.
Here is the Stats and our prediction for the FINAL 8 games:
Final 8 Teams Stats:
Lions out for Egyptian ‘revenge’
Cameroon midfielder Geremi says his team will seek revenge against champions Egypt in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The two meet in the last eight on Monday in a repeat of the 2008 final, when the Pharoahs came out on top to clam their second title in a row.
“I would say it is a big revenge [match], because we have a lot of things against them,” Geremi said.
Monday’s game is the first between the two since the final two years ago.
And the Newcastle man admits his team need to up their game before taking on a confident Egyptian side who have won all their games in Angola.
“I cannot say that so far we have shown that we’re a great team,” he told BBC Sport.
“But we still believe that we can do a lot of things in this tournament.
“In the second game [against Zambia] we were lucky, but I think we will learn from the mistakes and try to correct them in the next game.”
Egypt are the only side that picked up the maximum number of points from three group games and they definitely look like favourites against Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions were close to getting eliminated but they still made it through and will now have to raise their game considerably in order to qualify for the semis.
The Pharaohs fresh and rested
Egypt qualified for the quarter-finals after winning all three games in the group stage and they are definitely looking like early tournament favourites. The manner of the wins was maybe not what everyone would have expected from title contenders but the good thing for them is Hassan Shehata’s tactics seems to be working. The Pharaohs tend to allow their opponents the control of the game but they are well prepared to hit them on the break and it is this kind of approach that helped them win all three group games. We have no doubts Cameroon will be looking to take control of the game but their slow defence is unlikely to stop quick forwards Zidan and Motaeb, thus we see a good value in backing Egypt to score the first goa.
Our Prediction: Egypt 3-2 Gameroon
Angola vs Ghana
Hosts Angola have qualified for the quarter-finals after the controversial goalless draw against Algeria and they now face a very difficult task against Ghana. The Black Stars have beaten Burkina Faso in the last group game but they will have to start showing their enormous potential in order to make it to the final stages of the tournament.
Angola face a tough task
Five points from three group games was enough for the hosts to win the first place in the group, although the team were far from impressive in all of those games. There have been suspicions of foul play following their goalless draw with Algeria in the final group game which saw both sides qualify for the knockout stages but we will never know what really happened in that game. The Palancas Negras now face an uphill task against very good Ghana side and boss Manuel Jose is set to adopt a cautious approach since there is a lot at stake in this game. Considering no goals were scored in the first periods of Angola’s last two games.
Striker Flavio missed the Algeria game with a hamstring problems but he is expected to return to the starting line-up, while Gilberto, Zuela and Djalma all featured in the same game after shaking off minor knocks. We expect to see a similar side to the one that started the last game, with the only change being Flavio’s return to the team.
Ghana still searching their form
Ghana’s preparations for this tournament have been hampered by numerous injuries to star players and the injury problems continued at the competition itself. Considering the situation, it is no wonder that the Black Stars had some problems in the opening games and they should up their performances as the competition draws to a close. Even though the visitors are missing a couple of important players, boss Milovan Rajevac will be able to field a very strong side since he’s got plenty of very talented players at his disposal and we definitely see them as favourites in this clash. The hosts will also be under big pressure and we, therefore, see a good value in backing Ghana not to lose.
Defender Eric Addo has recovered from malaria but he is not considered an automatic starter any more after the great performance of Vorsah-Addy partnership. Anthony Annan is also available after recovering from injury, which means that the boss will have plenty of options even though this tournament is over for Michael Essien. Matthew Amoah looks set to get the nod if Rajevac opts for 4-5-1, while either Asamoah Gyan or Dominic Adiyiah will partner him if the visitors line up in 4-4-2.
Our Prediction: Angola 1-2 Ghana
Ivory Coast vs Algeria
The Elephants starting to show their potential
We always knew this team had enough quality to win Africa Cup of Nations but their past performances at big tournaments have served as a warning that they do not always deliver. The goalless draw against Burkina Faso put them in a very difficult situation to beat Ghana or go home but the players managed to step up the plate and won the game 3:1, scoring two goals with ten men on the pitch. The impressive win over Black Stars was just the boost this team needed before the decisive battles and we now strongly believe the Elephants can go all the way.
Algeria have a point to prove
Algeria were virtually written off after their opening defeat to Malawi but Rabah Saadane’s men managed to qualify for the next round having picked up four points from next two group games. The team didn’t really justify their qualification to the World Cup since they played under all expectations at Africa Cup of Nations but they, nonetheless, have a chance to fight for the place in the semis. Boss Saadane and his players are under big pressure since their compatriots believe the Fennecs should be playing much better and we don’t think they can match the Elephants. Considering they scored just one goal in first three group games.
Ivory Coast are slowly reaching their best form, while on top of the fact they are the better team here, the Elephants also had a lot more time to prepare for this match than their opponents. The Algerians are simply not playing to their potential and they will have a couple of players playing with knocks, which is never a good thing. Therefore, our bet is to on The Elephants here.
Our Prediction: Ivory Coast 3-1 Algeria
For one thing, the pressure is on them – Zambia’s coach
The Chipolopolo reached the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time in 14 years with a confident 2-1 victory over Gabon on Thursday.
“Against Nigeria, our target is to reach the semi-final,” Zambia coach Herve Renard said.
“They are a strong team, but we have a good chance against them.”
Zambia leapt from bottom to top of Group D to qualify ahead of Cameroon and send the Gabonese and Tunisia out.
They meet Nigeria on Monday, just weeks after drawing 0-0 with the Super Eagles in a pre-tournament friendly in Durban.
And Renard is bullish about his team’s chances of bettering that result in Lubango.
“For one thing, the pressure is on them, not on us,” he said.
“We have nothing to lose. Our target at this competition was to reach at least the quarter-finals and we have done so now.
“From this stage on, it is a bonus for us.”
Our Prediction: Zambia 2-1 Ghana
