Our soccer expert shares betting tips and previews two huge international finals as the Asian Cup and AFCON competitions come to a close. 

 

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AFC Asian Cup Final - Jordan vs Qatar (Saturday 15:00 UTC)

The 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium is where Jordan will mark their first appearance in an Asian Cup final to compete against Qatar. While the hosts will be seeking to be the first consecutive champions this century. The Jordanians progressed into the finale with a surprising win over favourites South Korea 2-0, while Qatar triumphed over Iran in an eclectic match ending 3-2.

Few could've anticipated that Al-Nashama would emerge out of the group and knockout stages and into the final. A resounding David vs Goliath pairing against the Koreans for many was where their journey may end. However, the side quashed the naysayers and utterly dominated the 90 minutes of play with 70% possession, which culminated in 17 attempts on goal with seven on target. Indeed, it appears that their opposition seemingly gave up as they were run ragged and could only muster seven attempts on goal, none of which were on target. FIFA rankings paint a sombre picture as the East Asian side is currently ranked 23rd, 64 places above Jordan. Questions will be asked as to why the side which consisted of the likes of Tottenham's Son Heung-min and Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae faltered so close to the finish line.

Jordan's journey before the semi-finals is all the more remarkable in the fact that they have had fewer than 50% of the possession in five of their six Asian Cup fixtures and when they did have more than half, they fell afoul 1-0 to Bahrain. Much of the side's attacking potential has come from Mousa Al-Taamari and Yazan Al-Naimat, who both have three goals for this tournament. They'll be in the thick of proceedings for this campaign effort and thirsty to bring silverware back to Amman, as the last time the Jordanian team lifted a trophy was at the 1999 Arab Games, where they defeated Iraq on penalties. Jordanian Handicap - Match +0.5 at 1.769.

The Al Thumama Stadium saw an extremely close semi-final duel between Persian Gulf rivals Qatar and Iran, with the match statistics overly favouring neither side. The Iranian fans were jubilant after a 4th-minute goal from Sardar Azmoun put them ahead, and more so as Qatar were on the back foot for the first time in an Asian Cup fixture since the 2015 group stages. It was 2-1 until Almoez Ali found the net in the 82nd to clutch a win for the hosts. Subsequently, Qatar is the first host nation to reach the final of this competition since Australia in 2015 and is looking to become the eighth host country to lift the trophy, with China in 2004 being the only side to have lost the final match on home soil. Another final win would mean the Maroon and Whites would become the fourth nation to successfully retain an AFC Asian Cup title and the first since Japan in 2004.

Key to the side's campaign has been left winger Akram Afit of Qatari outfit Al-Sadd SC. Since moving from Villareal in the summer of 2020 he has had an immediate impact in the Stars League and this season he has been especially rampant, with 13 goals and eight across his twelve games thus far. Having a tally of five for this tournament, we can well expect that he may procure a Golden Boot if he can leapfrog ahead of Iraq's Aymen Hussein who leads with six goals. First Team to Score - Qatar at 1.813.

We're on for an electric final between the upstarts Jordan and defending champions Qatar. With the Jordanians seemingly excelling out of possession and the Qatari's boasting a lethal strike force, we can expect an interesting turn of events with only slim favour going to the hosts.

1x2 3.95 3.19 2.10

 

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Africa Cup of Nations Final - Nigeria vs Ivory Coast (Sunday 20:00 UTC)

Nigeria travels to the 60,000-seater Alassane Ouattara Stadium to battle hosts Ivory Coast in this mammoth West African dust-off. The Super Eagles landed a spot at the final after a 1-1 draw ended in a penalty shootout, while the Elephants sneaked past DR Congo following a narrow 1-0 win. Nigeria are three-time winners, lifting the trophy in 1980, 1994 and 2013, while the Cote d'Ivoire have been crowned champions twice, in 1992 and 2015.

In a match loaded with 28 opportunities on goal, 11 of which were on target - many could be forgiven in thinking that there may have been a heavier scoreline. Even more so it would've swung in South Africa's favour as they dominated with 61% possession, complimented by 86% pass accuracy. It was William Troost-Ekong who put Nigeria into the lead from the penalty spot midway through the second half in the 67th, meaning Bafana Bafana played the rest of the game on the back foot before finally earning a spot-kick of their own in the final minute of the 90th minute and it was converted by Teboho Mokoena. After a hard-fought match which culminated in a Nigerian shootout victory, Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro was under no illusions of how close they came to disaster, "It was a very good victory against a very good team, the most organised team at the tournament. We deserved to win, but they (South Africa) deserved to win too - We were better in the penalty shootout, so my players deserved it. The team fought well."

Critically to the side's success has been the Serie A strike pairing of Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Atalanta's Ademola Lookman. Contributing seven domestic goals for the club this season, Osimhen has also played a key role in Nigeria's run to the semifinals, having been involved in four of the team's six goals, including scoring in the 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening game of the tournament. He has agreed terms on a new contract at Napoli which includes a release clause worth around £112 million, a toll Chelsea may be willing to pay this summer as they are on the hunt for a top-level striker to rejuvenate their underachieving side. Ademola Lookman will be looking to become the tournament's top scorer with his three-goal tally, though he'll have his work cut out for him to catch Equatorial Guinea's Emilio Nsue who leads with five. Correct Score 2-2 at 20.72.

Being the hosts of the tournament, Ivory Coast went into their semi-final as favourites to win on Wednesday. Although there were no goals scored in the first half, there was plenty of action, with both teams trying to get on the scoresheet. DR Congo was more efficient in the first half, as two of their three shots went on target. However, Yahia Fofana denied them on both counts. The French Ligue 2 has been an effective goal guardian for Angers SCO this season and has 11 clean sheets out of 19 league games. His outfield compatriots had six total shots in the first 45 minutes, though none of those were able to hit the back of the Congolese net. 

Emerse Faé's men gave everything they had in the second half and were eventually rewarded for their efforts, as Max Gradel's cross found Sebastian Haller in the box who scored with a volley, giving the Ivorians the lead. The Borussia Dortmund forward has had a rough time of it this year in Germany and has only managed to garner two goals in 14 games across all competitions, so he'll be happy to find personal redemption in his home nation. Ivory Coast to Score? - Yes at 1.546.

These teams have already clashed in Group A, with the Super Eagles coming out on top with the game's solitary goal. We can expect the Ivorians to bear this result in mind as they progress into the final as slim underdogs. Perhaps we can expect another draw after extra time and a tense penalty shootout to follow, it’ll be a match to remember regardless.

1x2 2.76 2.76 3.17

 

**Odds are subject to change. Odds accurate as of 10:00 UTC Friday 9th February**

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