When you sign-up through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more >
The odds for Ivory Coast vs Egypt are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Click on the links in the table below to head to the sportsbook, sign-up, and place your bet. Get a $1001 free bet bonus at Bet Caesars. See if sports betting is legal in your state, here.
Egypt were not particularly impressive in the group phase and the Ivorians’ array of attacking talent could make the difference.
Back Ivory Coast to win in the Caesars sportsbook (+113)
This is known as a moneyline selection – check out our guide to betting the moneyline and then discover how to bet on soccer in a broader sense.
Beginner friendly
Fantastic odds
100% Deposit Match up to $100
21+ CO, VA, MI Only | Terms and conditions apply
It is fair to say the Africa Cup of Nations got off to a cagey start. Nine of the first 12 matches in Cameroon finished 1-0 – and two of the other three were 0-0 draws. In a sense, this was predictable. The managers had very little time to work with their players before the action got under way. Since it is quicker and easier to coach defensive soccer, the first round of games were predictably uneventful.
Ivory Coast were on the right side of a 1-0 scoreline on January 12, as Max Gradel’s early goal earned them all three points against Equatorial Guinea. A 2-2 draw with Sierra Leone followed, before Ivory Coast knocked out the defending champions Algeria with a deserved 3-1 triumph at the Stade de Japoma in Douala, the same venue for this last-16 tie. With six goals to their name, Ivory Coast were outscored only by Cameroon in the group stage.
It is the Elephants’ attacking quality that makes them such a threat in this competition. There are not many teams in Africa who could afford to leave a player of Wilfried Zaha’s ability on the bench for two of their three group games. Gradel and Nicolas Pepe are the players competing with Zaha for the two spots alongside Sebastien Haller, who is enjoying a fantastic season at Ajax with 22 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions. No team managed as many shot on targets as Ivory Coast in the group stage.
There is plenty to admire elsewhere in this Ivory Coast team, not least the midfield trio of Ibrahim Sangare, Jean Seri and Franck Kessie. Patrice Beaumelle’s side were the third-favorites to lift the trophy in the pre-tournament odds, and we have seen nothing yet that questions their status as one of the main contenders.
Egypt were rated as the No.1 side at the Africa Cup of Nations by various sportsbooks, but they have been a little underwhelming so far. Their opening game against Nigeria was one of the heavyweight clashes of the group stage – and it did not have a positive outcome for the Pharaohs.
Egypt bounced back from a 1-0 loss in that fixture to beat both Guinea-Bissau and Sudan by a single goal, but that was not enough to top Group D – and their second-place finish has landed them a tricky last-16 tie against Ivory Coast.
Egypt were never likely to blow the likes of Guinea-Bissau and Sudan away; that is not really their style. They might have the best player at the tournament, Mohamed Salah, in their ranks but Egypt are not the type of team that will go on the front foot and take a proactive approach. They prefer to keep things solid on the back and hope they will nick a goal on the counter-attack. Whether that is enough to go all the way remains to be seen.
“There aren’t any more easy matches in the competitions, so we are just please to go through and believe we can only get stronger,” Egypt defender Ahmed Hegazy said after the hard-fought win against Sudan. Deep down, he must know the team needs to improve in the knockout stage.
Egypt’s strategy will again be centered on a sitting deep in defense and keeping a compact shape without the ball. They will be happy for Ivory Coast to dominate possession; instead of competing for control of the ball, they will sit back and look to open up space into which Salah can counter. The Liverpool superstar has pace in abundance and his clinical finishing in and around the penalty means he might only need one or two chances to have a major impact on the game.
The issue for Egypt is that it is hard to see where the goals will come from if Salah has an off-day or is marked out of the game. Nigeria succeeded in keeping him under wraps at the start of the group stage, and Ivory Coast will be able to use possession as a defensive as well as an offensive tactic: if they dominate the ball, Salah will have fewer opportunities to make an impression.
Ivory Coast’s backline is the team’s weak point. Of the 16 teams that made it into the knockout rounds, the Elephants had the third-worst expected goals against numbers in the group stage, which shows they gave up good chances to their opponents. But Egypt have struggled to produce in the final third up to now, and Ivory Coast’s attacking talent looks like it could bring them victory.
Free play options
Special contests for newbies
Bet $5 on a Money Line, Get $150 in Bonus Bets
21+ | Terms and conditions apply
Wide range of betting options
Top notch customer service
Promo Code 'SPORTS'
$500 Free Bet
21+ | VA only | Gambling problem? Call 1-800-532-3500
Ivory Coast vs Egypt Information | |
Teams | Ivory Coast vs Egypt |
Location | Stade de Japoma, Douala, Cameroon |
Time | Wednesday, 26 January 2022, 11.00 AM EST |
How to watch | beIN SPORTS |
100% Deposit Match up to $100
21+ CO, VA, MI Only | Terms and conditions apply
Greg Lea is a freelance soccer journalist from London. He is the former editor of The Set Pieces, and has contributed to the Guardian, FourFourTwo, and ESPN. A Crystal Palace fan, he is a long-time subscriber to the belief that it's the taking part that counts. Email: [email protected]
More info on Greg Lea
© Rebel Penguin ApS 2023 (a subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group Inc.)
We support responsible gambling. 21+ Only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
WSN.com is run by iGaming Cloud Inc (a Gaming Innovation Group Subsidiary) and is registered with the New Jersey
Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) under affiliate vendor ID
89744,
with the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) under certificate of registration number SWR-000148, approved by
the
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as a gaming service provider, under certificate registration number
117656-1,
possesses a Vendor Minor sports betting license from the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (account
number 94414163), granted a vendor registration number VR007603-20-001 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board,
an
interim Sports Wagering Supplier license, under license number SWS 066, issued by the West Virginia Lottery
Commission, a sports betting vendor registration, under registration number #100400, issued by the Director
of
Gaming Licensing and Investigations of the Virginia Lottery to operate in the State of Virginia, and a
Vendor
Registration issued by the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.
Advertising disclosure: WSN contains links to online retailers on its website. When people click on our
affiliate links and make purchases, WSN earns a commission from our partners, including ESPN and various
sportsbooks.