In this year's AFC Cup, I am most optimistic about last year's champions Senegal, who are in Group C. They are about to face Gambia in the first match of the group stage to defend their title.
Senegal come into this game in pretty good form, undefeated in their last 4 games and without conceding a goal. Defense is one of their biggest strengths, and as I've mentioned before, the backbone of the backfield of Berbicea, Golibani, and goalkeeper Edouard Aventis, all of whom have either played in the EPL or are in the Premier League, will be very hard for a lot of teams to break down their defense.
Besides talking about Senegal's defensive strengths, their offensive firepower is no less impressive. World class players like Shadio Vinny are backed up by the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Ismaila Shaya. I think this attacking combination will be too much for some of the weaker nations in this year's Afcon, so I wouldn't be surprised to see all three of Senegal's starting trio score goals. The Gambia have not been playing well lately, having not won in their last 3 matches and conceding in 4 consecutive matches. Considering these circumstances, I expect the reigning champions to come out with a convincing win against Gambia.
In the same group, Cameroon vs. Ghana, for me, this Group C matchup is a pretty interesting matchup. Although I predict Cameroon to advance from the group stage, it's not going to be an easy game for them against Ghana. Cameroon's performance in the run up to this year's Afcon has been mediocre, with only 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses in their last 5 matches. We still don't know if Manchester United goalkeeper Oonana will be ready in time for the match, as he is expected to play for Manchester United in the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the week (a day before the match), so he might not be able to make it in time to play for the national team in this match. Cameroon boss Sangji was surprised not to pick Bayern Munich striker Zoup Moting, and they will be relying on 2022 Afcon sharpshooters Aboubaka and Togo Igambi for goals.
Guinea have played Cameroon on a regular basis and are unbeaten in their last three matches against each other, including a 2:0 win over Cameroon at the 2021 African Nations Championship. Furthermore, in stark contrast to Cameroon, Guinea went into the game in good form, including a 2:0 win over Nigeria in a warm-up match. However, they have been hit by an injury to star striker Gulas, who has scored 17 goals for the Strikers this season, and Ghana will hope that he recovers in time for the match, especially if opposing goalkeeper Oonana is unable to make the match, which I predict will end in a draw.
Also in Group D, Algeria will be looking to make a comeback in this tournament after failing to defend their title in the last Afcon. The two-time African Cup of Nations champions will be looking to make an impressive start to the tournament to maintain their recent five-game winning streak, with top star Malles undoubtedly the team's most dangerous figure. Speaking earlier in the tournament, Males openly stated that he felt he had let his country down in the last edition of the tournament and that he would do everything in his power to get the team back to the top again. This is definitely a worrying sign for Angola, although they have been in good form prior to this game, unbeaten in their last five matches, four of which have been 0-0 draws.
