2023 AFCON Semi-Finals Preview

By: Olena

Posted: February 6, 2024

Updated: February 15, 2024

The 2023 AFCON semi-finals preview is here. Take a look at the final predictions for the two remaining pairs – Nigeria v South Africa and Ivory Coast v DR Congo – before kick-off on February 7th.

Image source: Flickr

The 2023 AFCON semi-finals preview is here. Take a look at the final predictions for the two remaining pairs – Nigeria v South Africa and Ivory Coast v DR Congo – before kick-off on February 7th.

Nigeria v South Africa

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals start with the Nigerian v South Africa match. The Nigerian team finds themselves in familiar territory, reaching the AFCON semi-finals for a record 15th time. However, this stage has not always been kind to them, with five out of their last six appearances ending in defeat, except for their triumph in 2013.

South Africa, their opponents in this semi-final, have been a tough challenge recently, with Nigeria managing only one win in six games. Yet, Nigeria’s recent form, with four consecutive wins without conceding a goal, suggests they are the favourites as they head to Bouake for the first time in this AFCON.

The journey to the 2023 AFCON semi-finals has not been easy for both teams. Nigeria had to travel nearly 450 km from their quarter-final venue in Abidjan, while South Africa had to endure extra time and penalties to defeat Cape Verde in the last eight, with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams emerging as the shootout hero, saving four shots. This victory marked South Africa’s first AFCON semi-final appearance in 24 years, though they aim to surpass their previous performance, where they were defeated by Nigeria. Both teams have displayed strong defensive records, with four consecutive clean sheets each in the tournament, indicating that this upcoming match could be a tightly contested affair.

Online sportsbooks in Nigeria favour their national team to make it through with the followin odds:

Nigeria to win – 1.57
Draw – 3.60
South Africa to win – 7.00

2023 AFCON Semi-Finals Preview — Image source: Pexels

Ivory Coast v DR Congo

Ivory Coast v DR Congo is the second pair competing for the AFCON finals in the 2023/2024 season. Ivory Coast’s journey in this competition has been nothing short of remarkable, adding another captivating chapter to international football’s annals. Despite barely scraping through the group stage and undergoing a mid-tournament managerial change, the host nation has overcome formidable challenges, knocking out strong contenders like Senegal and Mali in harsh knockout encounters. Emerse Fae’s team required a last-gasp equaliser and extra time to clinch victory in the quarter-finals. Consequently, their squad is currently not at its peak strength as they prepare for their first AFCON semi-final since 2015. Notably, Ivory Coast emerged victorious in the 2015 tournament, and their recent track record suggests they could be in contention for the trophy, having succeeded in three out of their last four semi-final appearances.

However, their quest for glory faces a significant hurdle as they aim to become the first host nation to win AFCON since 2006. Standing in their path are the Democratic Republic of Congo, appearing in only their third semi-final since the country’s renaming in 1997. Similar to Ivory Coast, Congo’s journey to this stage has been filled with challenges, having failed to win any group matches and relying on penalties to eliminate Egypt before comfortably defeating Guinea in the quarter-finals. However, history has not been entirely favourable to DR Congo in the semi-finals, having lost their last two matches at this stage, including one against in 2015…against Ivory Coast.

Bet365 and our 2023 AFCON semi-finals preview present the following odds for the upcoming match: