One thing you will need by your side while watching the final group stage matches of the Africa Cup of Nations is a calculator.With the matches running concurrently and teams jostling for the few available slots in the round of sixteen, a lot is expected to unfold tonight.Four matches are scheduled for Tuesday, with defending champions Senegal, former champions Algeria, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mauritania, and 2017 winners Cameroon all in action.Group CWith Senegal already through to the round of sixteen having won their opening two matches, the duo of Cameroon and Guinea will look to join the Teranga Lions in the knockout stage.Senegal vs GuineaSenegal will take on Guinea at Yamoussoukro’s Charles Konan Banny Stadium, with the Syli National hoping for a win or a draw against the Lions of Teranga to proceed.The Lions of Teranga, on the other hand, will be looking to preserve their one hundred percent record and stay at the summit of Group C. If Guinea beats Senegal, they will top the pool.##NAJAVA_MECA_7812367##Ahead of the match, Guinea coach Kaba Diawara stated that the team has been boosted by the return of injured players.“We have 4 points so far, which is good, but it is not enough. We play all the matches to win, and victory over Senegal means that we will go top of the group, and we will not have to travel for the quarter-final match. We will benefit from the return of all injured players and go for all three points. We will face the defending champion, who have 6 points and has scored 6 goals so far. The pressure will not be on us, but on Senegalese, because they are African champions,” he told CAF Online.His Senegalese counterpart, Aliou Cisse said the team had prepared for the clash well despite having confirmed their place in the knockout stages.“We prepared for the match seriously and professionally, just as we had prepared for previous matches. The match between Senegal and Guinea is a much-anticipated derby in West Africa. There are 3 derbies in our group. Our third match is important, and we are counting on a win to stay in the lead. We put the matches between Gambia and Cameroon in the past. The match in which we faced Guinea during the Cameroon edition was difficult due to the Corona pandemic, and the year 2022 is not like 2024,” said the AFCON winning gaffer.
Kick-off 8pm EATCameroon vs The GambiaWhile Guinea needs a point to go through, Cameroon has to beat the Gambia and pray that Senegal beats Guinea to advance.The match will be staged at the Stade de la Paix stadium in Bouake City.##NAJAVA_MECA_7812372##This will be a repeat of the quarterfinal of the 2021 edition, which Cameroon won 2-0 in front of their home fans in Douala.The Gambia coach, Tom Saintfiet said the team is focused on a strong finish.“It will be a strong match against Cameroon. I don’t remember Gambia beating Cameroon before. If we win 1-0 against Cameroon, we will have a chance to qualify for the next round. The most important thing for us is the three points,” he told CAF online.Cameroon coach Rigobert Song termed it a do-or-die clash, as anything short of a win would see them crash out of the tournament.“This is an important game and we are ready for it, we absolutely need our three points to help us progress to the knockout stage. We know it won’t be easy to do, our other objective is to have a good game. For Cameroon, we are trying to restructure our team, there are some people who were part of the previous team and are still here and what we can do is to prepare and give the best of ourselves. We are always learning, we are always at the learning phase and whatever the situation,” said the former skipper.Kick-off 8 pm EAT
Group DThings don’t look promising for the 2019 champions, Algeria, who are placed third in the pool behind Burkina Faso and Angola.Algeria will have to beat Mauritania at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.Mauritania have lost all two games and are without a win.##NAJAVA_MECA_7818707##Mauritania coach Amir Abdou termed Algeria the favorites to win the game but promised to give his best in the game.“We are going to have a very important game against the favorite of this group. It is going to be a very complicated game and we know we are going to play against a very good team. This is a team that has a lot of high-quality players. We are not here to distribute points, we are here to do our best and we will do everything possible to be at the right level,” he said.Algeria boss Djamel Belmadi said the team can’t afford to exit the tournament early, thus the need to win the game.“It’s a decisive match; let’s call a spade a spade. Against Burkina, we only conceded a corner; they only arrived once in our area. The psychological motivation to come back does not surprise me, I know my team, we don’t want to leave the competition,” said the former player.Kick off 11 pm EAT.Meanwhile, Burkina Faso will tackle Angola at the Stade de Yamoussoukro Stadium.
Tuesday Fixtures20.00: (6.25) Gambia (3.50) Cameroon (1.65)20.00: (3.60) Guinea (2.80) Senegal (2.40)23.00: (10.5) Mauritania (5.10) Algeria (1.32)23.00: (3.40) Angola (3.10) Burkina Faso (2.30)***odds are subject to change