Ivory Coast vs Comoros Prediction: Bet on the home team to win

On Friday, the first leg of Ivory Coast's double header in qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will take place at the Stadium Bouake, with the African nation facing off against Comoros. This will be the second time the two nations have competed against one another recently since the Elephants came out on top in a friendly match between them in June 2019, winning 3-1.

Ivory Coast's game on Friday gives them a chance to forget and move on from the problems they had at the Africa Nations Championship in January. They will be trying to play in their 25th AFCON, which would be a record. Before their CHAN campaign, the West African team had lost three straight friendlies. In November 2022, they lost 2-1 to Burkina Faso, ending a streak of five games in which they hadn't lost. In their first game of 2023, they were beaten 3-0 by Mauritania. Ivory Coast has had a hard time getting going in the last few months, winning only one of their last six games. However, they can be proud of how well they have done in the AFCON qualifiers, where they have had a good start to the season. Last June, the team under the leadership of Jean-Louis Gasset defeated Zambia 3-1 before tying Lesotho 0-0 six days later to take first place in Group H with four out of a possible six points. The two-time African champions haven't lost in six straight AFCON qualifying games. They will try to keep that streak going this weekend as they try to make it to their 10th straight continental tournament since 2004.

The Comoros' form leading up to Friday wasn't anything to write home about, as they hadn't won any of their last six games in all competitions. Les Coelacantes' hopes of getting home-based players into the 2022 Africa Nations Championship were dashed when they lost to South Africa 1-0 on aggregate last July. After that, they lost two friendlies in a row. On September 22, they lost 1-0 to Tunisia, and then a week later, they lost 2-1 to Burkina Faso at the Stade Pere Jego. Despite their poor performance, the Comoros still have 12 points to play for in Group H of the AFCON qualifiers, giving them a chance to turn things around and qualify for the tournament for the second year in a row. They should be encouraged by their performance on the first day, when Youssouf M'Changama and Benjaloud Youssouf scored to beat Lesotho 2-0. Comoros, on the other hand, have had a hard time winning away from home. In their last six away games, they have lost five and drawn one, with the exception of a 1-2 win over Seychelles in July.

When one considers the vast difference in class and talent that exists between the two teams, it is tough not to conclude that Ivory Coast will win the match with ease. We anticipate that Gasset's squad, who will be playing in front of their own supporters, will come out on top in a game that should be an exciting one with plenty of goal-mouth action and come out on top with all three points.