Ghana vs Benin
Africa Cup of Nations
Date: Tuesday, 25th June 2019
Kick off at 21:00 UK/ 22:00 CET
Venue: Ismaïlia Stadium (Ismaïlia).
Form Ghana & Team News
The Black Stars finished top of their Africa Cup qualifying group ahead of Kenya, Ethiopia and disqualified Sierra Leone. Ghana have made the semi-finals in their last six African Cup tournaments and may extend the record under James Kwesi Appiah.
Ghanaian forces contain important figures including Andre and Jordan Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah and Thomas Partey. The majority of the 2019 plants on the Black Stars are based overseas and many players are recognized throughout the world of football.
Partey is the choice at any time the scorer market that has been in clinical form for Ghana while Gyan is their all-time top scorer. The Black Stars drew 0-0 with South Africa in a warm-up match but won the previous two matches against Ethiopia and Kenya.
None of this guarantees victory but the experience of the big Ghana tournament means a lot. I tip the Appiah team on the market who won for what I feel is good value against a team that is lower at 1.70.
Form Benin & Team News
Benin qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations by occupying second place in a group containing Algeria, Gambia and Togo. This is the first African Cup since 2010 for Squirrels and they have never made it past the group stages.
Coach Michel Dussuyer has a squad full of European-based players like his colleague Appiah. But there are no players from the club of Atletico Madrid or Inter Milan caliber.
Stephane Sessegnon is a Benin legend and scored in a 1-0 friendly win over Guinea while Steve Mounie is another player to watch at the scorers market at any time.
Benin have won three consecutive matches but it would be a mistake to take their form against a lower team as a sign of what will happen against Ghana. Upset is always possible even though with squirrels paying 5.75 to win and 3.50 to draw.
Tips for Ghana vs Benin betting
Will this be the year Ghana ends their waiting for glory? They have not won the African Cup since their fourth success in 1982. They have been very successful all the time in this competition, but they are almost always men on many occasions. They have reached the semifinals in the last six tournaments since 2008 when they hosted. The last two defeats, finished in third place and three finished in fourth place have been followed. Can Ghana turn things around in 2019?
The head of Ghana headed for Egypt full of hope. Their own record makes them become competitors to reach the final stage, while they have talented players who can make a difference. The Ayew brothers still have a big influence on the side, while Thomas Partey in midfield is a high-ranked box to box player. Many of their stars reached their peak, with Christian Atsu, Ayews and Jonathan Mensah all reaching their late 20s. Will the combination of experience and talent bring them fully?
Meanwhile, Benin has made this tournament despite facing Algeria and Togo in qualifying. However, they booked their place with three home wins, while they took one point on the road and only scored one goal. Benin is not the biggest side in the tournament, while they are clearly a team that can struggle to adapt to playing in Egypt. They warmed up with back to back friendship wins, while no names jumped out of their troops.
Ghana is a worthy favorite to win this match, because they formed to be the party to watch in the tournament. While the problems surrounding Asamoah Gyan's attitude could hit them, it was a pleasant camp at this early stage. They made it through their group by winning to zero in all but one of their games, while they have kept three clean sheets straight into this match.
We see Benin struggling to adapt here, especially considering their record in this tournament. They qualified on the previous three occasions for the 16-team tournament - ranked 16th, 15th and 14th overall in terms of their results. Benin have lost eight of their nine matches in this competition in the past, so we see value in supporting perpetual competitors to claim victory.
Ghana vs Benin Head to head (h2h)
Benin and Ghana have met each other on six occasions.
The Black Stars have succumbed to defeat on only one occasion, the match ended 1-0 for the benefit of Benin.
Ghana have managed to win with four goals or more in two examples.
Their last meeting, namely in 2017, ended in a 1-1 draw.