The first quarter-final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will take place on Wednesday, when Senegal take on surprise package Benin at 30 June Stadium in Cairo. The two sides have last met at the West African Cup of Nations in 2017 and Senegal won that match 4-0. That was the third consecutive win for Senegal against Benin, before that streak we had a 1-1 draw in the World Cup qualifying campaign all the way back in 2000.
Senegal had a pretty straightforward tournament so far, even though they finished second in their group behind Algeria. In fact, the only goal that they conceded in four matches since the start of the tournament led to their only defeat, 1-0 against Algeria. In the first knockout round Senegal defeated Uganda 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Liverpool star Sadio Mane, who then missed a penalty kick in the second half. Badou Ndiaye and Kalidou Koulibaly are one booking away from suspension, but that won't prevent head coach Aliou Cisse from employing the same first eleven for the third consecutive game.
Benin are one of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far. Before this tournament they had never managed to get past the group stage at the Africa Cup of Nations, and only had qualified for the final tournament three times. They finished the group stage undefeated with three draws in three matches, including a goalless draw against defending champions Cameroon. Then, in the first knockout round, they held out for a 1-1 draw against Morocco and then prevailed in the penalty shoot-out. Khaled Adenon was sent off during that match and is suspended for Wednesday's game.
Probable line-ups:
Senegal: Gomis - Gassama, Koulibaly, Kouyate, Sabaly - Gueye, Ndiaye - Mane, Saivet, Sarr - Niang
Benin: Alagbe - Mama, Kiki, Adilehou, Verdon, Imorou - Pote, Adeoti, Sessegnon, Soukou - Mounie
My prediction:
Benin will fight bravely once again but I believe they are not strong enough to withstand Senegal's attacking power, I think Senegal will win this match 1-0.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Senegal win - 1.45
Draw - 3.80
Benin win - 9.00
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