DR Congo vs Guinea prediction 02.02.2024

• Competition: Africa Cup of Nations 
• Date: Friday, 2nd February 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
• Venue: Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara (Abidjan)

The younger generation doesn't count DR Congo as one of the prominent African football nations, but the country from central Africa has two Africa Cup of Nations titles (from 1968 and 1974). DR Congo hasn't had too many successes since then, as their most recent semifinal appearance occurred nine years ago. This year, DR Congo played four matches at this year's Africa Cup of Nations, and all four finished with a draw if we look up only the regular 90 minutes. In the 1/8 final, they played 1-1 against Egypt but showed remarkable skill in a penalty shootout and progressed to the quarterfinal. 

Guinea's biggest success at the Africa Cup of Nations came in 1976 when they lost in the final against Morocco. Since then, Guinea's best achievements were five quarterfinals, including this year's result. Kaba Diawara's team progressed to the knockout phase as third-placed in their group, but after that, they stunned Equatorial Guinea with a 1-0 victory. The teams were already preparing for the extra 30 minutes, but Mohamed Bayo scored the game-winning goal only half of a minute before the expiration of the second half's stoppage time. Now, Guinea will have a chance to fight for their first semifinal since 1976. 

DR Congo vs Guinea pick: Under 2.5 goals

Interestingly, each DR Congo and Guinea match at the Africa Cup of Nations finished with two or fewer goals. We shouldn't expect too many goals in Friday's match either, so under 2.5 goals should be the safest bet for this tie.