🌍⚽Sportsbet.io AFCON 2024 prediction pool discussion thread

[slaman29]

Still bottom, and still we are getting nothing but 0-1 or 0-0 games, I felt like I should have changed my predictions for round 2 games but surely, surely, the quality and goals have to improve right?

we should see more attacking football since a lot of teams will be on the verge of elimination if they lose another game/drop more points, plus some teams gotta start scoring some goals since goal difference is crucial in the group stage, especially if they wanna get that 3rd place spot... I went with some safe picks (2-0, 1-0), but i might change a few

on another note, the user PL Guru forgot to submit today's picks,, ouch!

Forgot who it was who predicted Cameroon would have a good start and they're already the tournament's leaders in goals. Ekambi and Aboubakar both got 2 goals, whoever picked them in the outright promo would be disappointed there wasn't hattrick as they would have won 0.5 mbtc cash!

I hope you're right that the goals become more evident. I refused to go for 1-0 picks so I either climb up out of wooden spoon zone or I win a second in a row

How do I even not beat a guy who didn't submit picks?

[1715304358]

1715304358

[Igebotz]

Cameroon vs Ethiopia is just about 8 minutes away and I've just changed my pick from 2-0 to 2-1 (ignoring the single trend happening so far), I'm convinced that Cameroon might win this but I felt they offered an easy route with those two penalties in the opening fixture, I'm expecting a few slip ups today which likely might cost them to concede a goal.

Holly shit, I did not count, but I am almost sure that Cameroon games had more goals in them than all the other games at AFCON. Now I am firmly in Cameroon supporter clan since they seem the only team willing to take some risks. I guess home turf and all that means something in the end.

The Cameroon are not as scary as we think; their group stage was one of the simplest in the tournament, and while they did score some good goals, this is Africa, and the host country must qualify to a certain level in order for the other teams to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere. I knew they'd make it out of the group stage, but I couldn't anticipate their exact results.

Yesterday's game was not as good as I had hoped. Let's see how today's game goes. I'm hoping to pick up some points after yesterday's poor performance.

[casperBGD]

~snip

How do I even not beat a guy who didn't submit picks?

you are a champ man he probably won some on default picks, not sure

Senegal is playing another boring match, goalless halftime with Guinea
I will watch Morocco later, interested to see Comoros players, but also in Mmaee performance, put him as captain in my Sorare team, expecting more than just 1:0 win

[Harkorede]

Congratulations to Harkorede for getting the yellow cap in this first round,,, I actually managed to get 12 points from exact scores, so I am very happy that the tournament has put me in second place (so far).

I think I only managed 9 points from exact scores in the round, but it been a really close one, and I was down to about 7 or so after the 6th game.


Senegal got bailed out in their first group match, but their struggles continued today against Guinea, and no one from the pool saw this coming.

[leea-1334]

2 more match days before group stage is over. Seems like host nation Cameroon was a very good bet for those who took the special. Egypt and Algeria did not win so no prizes for us

Algeria at least played something and they were unlucky not to score some goals. I still expect them to pass the group and get more dangerous as the tournament progress. Egypt looked awful and I am not even sure they can claw their way out of the group stage.

We started getting some goals yesterday, now I am torn between keeping to 1:0 scores or getting back to normal

Now Senegal drew today so they are also even with us who bet on Egypt and Algeria. And just as you said about more goals, the biggest teams failed to score again,,, but interestingly both took 7 corners each, which has not always been easy to get even for 1 team in this AFCON.

I guess now we will see almost every group have no 9-point winner at least not the way things are going for now.

[buwaytress]

Yeah, thanks very much for that reminder, leea, of how crap the tourney's been so far. I backed Senegal (always do) so the first win was actually a huge escape, really (Mane penalty in 97th min). Worst of all is he and Keita both tired themselves out and got nothing out of it.

Malawi's about 30 mins away from a mild upside right now, and Morocco looks headed for the usual 1-0 win heh. All specials seem to be out dead right now, good that I've avoided them all so far except for the opening day one.

Poor Comoros, they were one of my favs in qualifiers, their first tourney and haven't scored a single goal. (Hope this reverse-jinxes them to do so heh).

[Igebotz]

Now Senegal drew today so they are also even with us who bet on Egypt and Algeria. And just as you said about more goals, the biggest teams failed to score again,,, but interestingly both took 7 corners each, which has not always been easy to get even for 1 team in this AFCON.

I guess now we will see almost every group have no 9-point winner at least not the way things are going for now.

This is really worse AFCON Even the top players look lost on the field, the entire team comes into the game with a defensive mindset, sit back, play on the counter, score a goal, and then sit back the rest of the game, I must say I'm disappointed so far, but sure, I've been making a little money with my HT under 1.5 goals. Mane has been a disaster since the tournament began..

Yeah, thanks very much for that reminder, leea, of how crap the tourney's been so far. I backed Senegal (always do) so the first win was actually a huge escape, really (Mane penalty in 97th min). Worst of all is he and Keita both tired themselves out and got nothing out of it.

These generations are toothless, and I miss players like Emenike of Nigeria, Drogba of Ivory Coast, Cessie of Senegal, Gyan of Ghana, and Smauel Etoo of Cameroon hitting and lighting up the front of their respective national teams. Today's strikers are all toothless and sluggish in front of the net.

The pool is becoming more difficult to forecast, and the underdogs are reaping the benefits. 

[Trofo]

These generations are toothless, and I miss players like Emenike of Nigeria, Drogba of Ivory Coast, Cessie of Senegal, Gyan of Ghana, and Smauel Etoo of Cameroon hitting and lighting up the front of their respective national teams. Today's strikers are all toothless and sluggish in front of the net.

I am also missing those guys, at least they were playing for goal more and pushing their teams to keep up. You forgot to mention at least Yay Yay

I am blaming foreign coaches as heads for African selections which brought super defensive mindset into the play since it was easiest way of getting the result fast. Now when everybody is playing the same game it gets boring to watch.

[Harkorede]

Poor Comoros, they were one of my favs in qualifiers, their first tourney and haven't scored a single goal. (Hope this reverse-jinxes them to do so heh).

That shows how much role the experience play in the tournament, I really never fancy their chances at all given the group the belong too, I literally expect them to get at most 1 point from the group.

Getting 3 points from the fixture probably made up for my wrong prediction in Malawi vs Zimbabwe where I anticipated another goalless draw.

Ghana are already ahead in the last game for the day, I hope Gabon would draw level  

[Joca97]

Easy win for Morocco today the only favorite that actully won today in the tournament. Both Senegal and Ghana have dissapointed today and this tournament still is impossible to predict let alone win a bet in it. At least today we had a few goals on the tournament

[leea-1334]

Now Senegal drew today so they are also even with us who bet on Egypt and Algeria. And just as you said about more goals, the biggest teams failed to score again,,, but interestingly both took 7 corners each, which has not always been easy to get even for 1 team in this AFCON.

I guess now we will see almost every group have no 9-point winner at least not the way things are going for now.

This is really worse AFCON Even the top players look lost on the field, the entire team comes into the game with a defensive mindset, sit back, play on the counter, score a goal, and then sit back the rest of the game, I must say I'm disappointed so far, but sure, I've been making a little money with my HT under 1.5 goals. Mane has been a disaster since the tournament began..

I do not have access to all of the games,,, there are only a few selected ones, 2 from every matchday in the group stages,,, so to be fair also I guess I cannot say it is equal for all the games but from the ones I saw, you are right. I saw one Senegal game yesterday, I saw the first day Cameroon, everyone is playing like they are scared. Running hard is all they try, they do not even dare to do tricks or take risks.

I could not figure out if Mane plays point striker or supporter when I watched. He was as if he did not need to be there.

[buwaytress]

These generations are toothless, and I miss players like Emenike of Nigeria, Drogba of Ivory Coast, Cessie of Senegal, Gyan of Ghana, and Smauel Etoo of Cameroon hitting and lighting up the front of their respective national teams. Today's strikers are all toothless and sluggish in front of the net.

The pool is becoming more difficult to forecast, and the underdogs are reaping the benefits. 

Yeah. I stubbornly kept to my predictions even after witnessing the results AND style of the first Matchday, but anyway, we didn't put anything in this pool so I don't mind keeping to my usual style, but entertainment wise, I also feel pretty cheated, especially when you compare this to how they were playing during qualifiers.

Today's strikers are good, just no longer playing in the formation or style of past editions. Why, I've no idea. We gotta blame the coaches as Trofo says. It's even more frustrating when you saw how Senegal played in last WC, or let's even say outsider like Tunisia who still played to score against European teams and now lose miserably to what, Mali (and yes the ref was shit but the team was shittier)?

[Igebotz]

I am also missing those guys, at least they were playing for goal more and pushing their teams to keep up. You forgot to mention at least Yay Yay

I am blaming foreign coaches as heads for African selections which brought super defensive mindset into the play since it was easiest way of getting the result fast. Now when everybody is playing the same game it gets boring to watch.

I didn't want to include attacking midfielders because there are so many, so I just listed some of the top strikers of the last decade. It's not the foreign coaches who are the problem; we have African coaches in Europe as well. It's the players' mindset, particularly in West African countries, who rely on muscle to win games.

Yeah. I stubbornly kept to my predictions even after witnessing the results AND style of the first Matchday, but anyway, we didn't put anything in this pool so I don't mind keeping to my usual style, but entertainment wise, I also feel pretty cheated, especially when you compare this to how they were playing during qualifiers.
~snip~

I didn't see your name in the pool and was curious as to where you stood on the leaderboard and why you didn't use your full name. I'm watching every game with a heavy heart, hoping that the playing style will change, but nothing has.

[casperBGD]

~snip
Yeah. I stubbornly kept to my predictions even after witnessing the results AND style of the first Matchday, but anyway, we didn't put anything in this pool so I don't mind keeping to my usual style, but entertainment wise, I also feel pretty cheated, especially when you compare this to how they were playing during qualifiers.

we have to admit that there are some goals now, compared to round 1, where there was only one goal per game
Nigeria won 3:1 over Sudan, they are proving their worth today, and looking promising to get far

Morocco and Nigeria looking best so far? did not really watched much of games, but they seem as in best shape

[Harkorede]

~snip
Yeah. I stubbornly kept to my predictions even after witnessing the results AND style of the first Matchday, but anyway, we didn't put anything in this pool so I don't mind keeping to my usual style, but entertainment wise, I also feel pretty cheated, especially when you compare this to how they were playing during qualifiers.

we have to admit that there are some goals now, compared to round 1, where there was only one goal per game
Nigeria won 3:1 over Sudan, they are proving their worth today, and looking promising to get far

Morocco and Nigeria looking best so far? did not really watched much of games, but they seem as in best shape

I think I completely agree with you that Morocco and Nigeria are the best teams so far, both team are playing with clear conviction and distinct style of play, very organized in possession and defense, both team have played at least one of the favorites each and you can tell about how well they performed in those games.


Egypt still can't find a way past Guinea Bissau at half time, despite dominating every aspect of the game so far.

[Igebotz]

we have to admit that there are some goals now, compared to round 1, where there was only one goal per game
Nigeria won 3:1 over Sudan, they are proving their worth today, and looking promising to get far

Morocco and Nigeria looking best so far? did not really watched much of games, but they seem as in best shape

I think I completely agree with you that Morocco and Nigeria are the best teams so far, both team are playing with clear conviction and distinct style of play, very organized in possession and defense, both team have played at least one of the favorites each and you can tell about how well they performed in those games.

Both countries are the only ones willing to take chances and play aggressive football; Cameroon is always attacking, but Algeria remains the most dangerous team; the first game did not go as planned, but Algeria will rebound in the second round. Don't dismiss them.

Is there any CAF news on the game that concluded in the 89th minute the other day? And what about the Ghanaian team's misbehavior the other day? More dramas will ensue if they let everything slip and no one takes responsibility.

Egypt still can't find a way past Guinea Bissau at half time, despite dominating every aspect of the game so far.

They got the result they wanted but they still struggling, they will not go past the quarter final

[morvillz7z]

<...>superb performance from the Sierra Leone GK,, he's only 22yo, here he is getting a bit emotional after receiving MOTM award

That same goalie just saved a pen by Franck Kessie, i think a proper team needs to take a look at him and sign him, East End Lions ain't good enough for him. 

srsly, the kid is good!

[buwaytress]

^Need to see the keeper you guys are talking about, he that good eh?

I didn't see your name in the pool and was curious as to where you stood on the leaderboard and why you didn't use your full name. I'm watching every game with a heavy heart, hoping that the playing style will change, but nothing has.

Oh, sorry, I forgot you're new. I'm "Sojourner" on Superbru. My forum nick is actually a nonsense name I only used as when I first signed up, I thought it wouldn't be for long so used a throwaway account. Ironically, my actual forum account made a couple of years before I totally lost, can't even remember the nick, so stuck to using this

Is there any CAF news on the game that concluded in the 89th minute the other day? And what about the Ghanaian team's misbehavior the other day? More dramas will ensue if they let everything slip and no one takes responsibility.

Yeah, extended Tetteh's ban, so he won't see 3 games, if they even get that far. I get why they were incensed, but you know, just can't expect sportsmanship from all teams these days, and you're naive if you get punished for expecting it. I think the whole team should have been fined though.

[tomahawk9]

Algeria are at the bottom of the group after this upset 👀 what were the odds for a Equatorial Guinea win? 19/1 or something like that?)

<...>superb performance from the Sierra Leone GK,, he's only 22yo, here he is getting a bit emotional after receiving MOTM award

That same goalie just saved a pen by Franck Kessie, i think a proper team needs to take a look at him and sign him, East End Lions ain't good enough for him.  

srsly, the kid is good!

he's totally gonna get signed by a club from europe, could be in the current transfer window or during the summer, the guy has tons of potential to improve
btw, that last minute mistake from the Ivory Coast GK,, what a devastating blow, he looked like he was gonna cry at the end, just painful  

*EDIT  and we were talking about the pitch the other day    https://twitter.com/mitchwilks/status/1482773190749343751

^Need to see the keeper you guys are talking about, he that good eh?

he was immense against the defending champions and today he was the best player in the team

[Trofo]

So anybody got any points from Ivory Coast and Algeria matches? I expected those two "known" teams to have an easy way out of the group and then to decide who is first in the last game. As it stands one of them could be out of the tournament very soon. I think there are some 3rd placed teams going trough so maybe there is still time.

Killed my tickets though, screw them.