Senegal were our pre-tournament pick for Africa Cup of Nations glory and are expected to prove too strong for a game, but outgunned Uganda side at the last-16 stage. The Lions of Teranga are seeking to lift this trophy for the first time and have Liverpool star Sadio Mane in good form.
Ghana have work to do to reach the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage but should get back on track by beating Guinea-Bissau. The Black Stars have made the semi-finals for six straight renewals of this tournament, but started out this time with a couple of draws to put pressure on themselves.
Cameroon have made a convincing start to the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations crown and now only need a draw against Benin to top Group F. The Indomitable Lions roared to a win over Guinea-Bissau before sharing the spoils with Ghana, while the Squirrels have had two stalemates so far.
Tunisia are making hard work of qualifying from Africa Cup of Nations Group E but can get there in the end by edging out Mauritania in the final round of fixtures. The Eagles of Carthage are the second-highest ranked team in the tournament, being 78 places higher than their opponents in the FIFA ratings.
Ivory Coast are still in good shape to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage and should brush aside Namibia without too much fuss. Les Elephants lost to Morocco but had previously edged out South Africa, whereas the Brave Warriors are bottom of the Group D table following two defeats.
South Africa and Morocco would both probably be content with a draw when they meet in the final round of Africa Cup of Nations Group D fixtures. That result would guarantee top spot for the Atlas Lions and almost certainly see Bafana Bafana also advance into the knockout rounds.
Algeria will be keen to maintain their early momentum at the Africa Cup of Nations when taking on Group C basement dwellers Tanzania. The Desert Foxes are sitting pretty at the top of the table following wins over Kenya and Senegal and can now make a statement of intent against the Taifa Stars.
Senegal only need a draw against Kenya to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations knockout rounds but should be good enough to claim victory in Cairo. Both teams have registered a win and a stalemate so far in Group C, but the Lions of Teranga are rated 83 places higher in the FIFA rankings.
Madagascar have exceeded all expectations at the Africa Cup of Nations, but could get a reality check when facing Group B table toppers Nigeria in Alexandria. The Super Eagles have already posted two straight victories in this pool and are rated a vastly superior side, being 63 spots further up the FIFA rankings.
Egypt have looked rock-solid as Africa Cup of Nations hosts by starting out with two straight victories and are hard to oppose against Uganda in Cairo. The Cranes are also on course to progress from Group A after beating DR Congo and drawing with Zimbabwe, but this is a big step up in class.
Cameroon upset Ghana in the semi-finals en route to 2017 Africa Cup of Nations glory and can again come out on top in this year’s Group F meeting. The Indomitable Lions will be full of confidence after beating Guinea-Bissau, whereas the Black Stars are under a bit of pressure following a draw with Benin.
Morocco were a touch fortunate to scrape past Namibia in their Africa Cup of Nations opener but are worth sticking with when they take on Ivory Coast. The Atlas Lions beat Les Elephants 2-0 when they last met in a World Cup qualifier and should again enjoy facing opponents who come out more.
Kenya and Tanzania both began the Africa Cup of Nations with predictable defeats, but we felt the first-named team showed far more encouraging signs. The Harambee Stars were more of a threat after the interval versus Algeria, whereas the Taifa Stars were pretty negative throughout against Senegal.
Africa Cup of Nations hosts Egypt were more superior than a 1-0 scoreline suggests when beating Zimbabwe and can follow up by brushing aside DR Congo. The Leopards opened with a very disappointing 2-0 loss to Uganda and now must come up against the favourites in front of a hostile Cairo crowd.