Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea Prediction: The Desert Foxes will have a smooth sail against a strong opponent

Algeria will kick off their AFCON qualifying campaign against a strong Equatorial Guinea side at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium on Thursday. The Desert Foxes have had a mixed result recently under their new coach, and they can’t afford to drop points on their ground against the visitors here. At the same time, Equatorial Guinea have struggled to convert their chances since the absence of their best player, Emilio Nsue and must be at their best to get anything away from this game.

Algeria

FIFA Ranking: 46th

Last five games: LWDLW

The Desert Foxes, who had a disappointing outing in the just concluded AFCON tournament, will start their journey of returning to the competition. Algeria dropped two places in the FIFA rankings following their recent run. They have won twice over their last five games, conceding nine times while scoring nine goals.

More recently, they secured a hard-fought (1-2) victory over Uganda away from home. 

Algeria have lost twice in their last sixteen games but have not been playing to their standards lately. The Desert Foxes must be at their best to amass all the points, as the guests won’t give up without a fight.

Equatorial Guinea

FIFA Ranking: 88th

Last five matches: LWLLW

The Elephants returned to winning ways after back-to-back defeats against Cape Verde and Tunisia. Equatorial Guinea rebounded with a slim (1-0) victory over Malawi on their ground. After their successful run in the AFCON Championship last year, Equatorial Guinea will be poised to secure their spot in the forthcoming edition and will have to do better against Liberia and Togo. 

Equatorial Guinea who were sanctioned by the football governing body, FIFA, as to the eligibility of Equatorial Guinea captain Emilio Nsue, have now played four games with just a win. The apex regulator chopped off their six points after discovering their captain wasn’t qualified to play for his country. 

Equatorial Guinea will have to start over again and must now win all their games to stand a chance of playing in the World Cup. 

Juan Micha men are always very direct with their game plan and hardly concede unnecessarily.

Expert Betting Tips

Equatorial Guinea have not been at their best lately and we think they’ll struggle against the hosts here. At the same time, the new Algeria coach, Vladimir Petkovic, will be keen to prove his worth in this competition following their recent victory over Uganda on the road. 

Algeria's last four games have produced more than two goals, and we believe this particular encounter won't deny us goals.

Maghrez, Baghdad, and Amoura's front three will be too hot for Equatorial Guinea's defense to handle; bet on a home win before the break for 2.11.

We also expect to see Algeria score more goals after the break for 2.16.

Good luck!