Which African Team Are You Banking on As the Qualifiers Resume?

When Madagascar scored six against Niger and Algeria put five past Zambia, they put some gloss on the qualifiers for AFCON 2021. As they became the highest scorers of the qualifiers, alongside Nigeria, fans were looking forward to more. But COVID-19 happened, the tournament was postponed and qualifiers put on hold.

Almost a year after the last set of games were played, action is set to resume on the continent. For eight days – November 11^th through to the 17^th – different countries will lock horns for vital points necessary for qualification. With 24 games set to be played per round, the African Nations Cup qualifiers will feature 48 games.

That’s more than enough to enjoy and also make money from. But which team should you look out for?

First on your list should be Algeria. And we’re not saying this because they’re the reigning African football champions. It’s because they have scored an average of three goals per game. In Group H, no team has been able to penetrate their defense as they have kept two clean sheets.

This is similar to what other North African sides have enjoyed in their campaign so far.

In Group J, Tunisia have been dominant, scoring five and conceding just once. In Group E, Morocco have scored three and kept a clean sheet into games. Egypt has been the only outlier so far. They have not won any of their two qualifying games so far.

For goals scored, Madagascar is the only side that can match the record of the Algerians. They have also scored seven goals, although they have let two in in their last two. Not a lot of teams can boast of keeping a clean sheet in the qualifiers so far. There are only a few of them.

One is Uganda, a side that has scored only two goals in the qualifying series. Ghana currently tops Group C, with three goals scored. Mauritania and Cameroon are the two sides yet to concede a goal but not topping their groups. Comoros, in Group G, is the only side topping its group having scored just one goal so far.

Of the first round of 24 games to be played, will the home sides make the best use of their home advantage? Remember that fans will not be allowed into the stadiums yet. And this will apply to the many games to be played, including Nigeria’s clash against Sierra Leone.

Another thing to look out for is that all these teams will be playing against each other twice – first leg and return leg – over this eight-day period. How do you think these games will play out? Which sides will come out on top with the goals or clean sheets? Join the conversation below by dropping your comments.