Ivory Coast vs Gabon Prediction 07.06.2024

• Competition: World Cup qualification Africa
• Date: Friday, 7th, June 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UTC +1 / 21.00 CEST
• Venue: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium (Korhogo)

The third matchday in Group F of the CAF World Cup qualifiers sees high-flying Ivory Coast hosting Gabon at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on Friday.

Ivory Coast vs Gabon Betting Tips: AH1 (-1.5)

Despite missing out on the last two FIFA World Cup finals, the Ivory Coast appears determined to end their decade-long drought this time, having launched their qualifying campaign with a flying start by blowing the hapless Seychelles to smithereens 9-0 in the opener.

Following their mauling display in their Group F curtain-raiser, Les Elephants were considerably gentler towards their opponent in matchday number two, comfortably defeating Gambia 2-0 away from home to make it two wins out of two at the start of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Still, Ivory Coast continues the CAF World Cup qualifiers with a new face on the sidelines, as Jean-Louis Gasset was dismissed due to unacceptable losses in the Cup of Nations, and his place was taken by compatriot Emerse Fae, who has crafted a fairytale story since taking the helm, guiding his side all the way to becoming African champions for the third time in history.

Fae's next challenge will be leading his country to the world's biggest football stage, but before that, he must devise a strategy to conquer the qualification group, as only the top spot guarantees direct progression to the third phase, and they are currently perched at the summit solely due to a superior goal difference over their nearest rival.

In stark contrast to the 2023 AFCON winners, the Gabonese were far less dominant in the final third, but they did enough to make a 100% start from the opening two matches of the qualifiers, first claiming a come-from-behind 2-1 victory versus Kenya, then repeating the same scoreline against Burundi on the road to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ivory Coast at the top of the group standings.

Having missed out on the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, Les Pantheres have taken to the field only twice since the turn of the calendar year, engaging in international friendlies where they fell short of their expectations, as Senegal handed them a tought 0-3 defeat before they were held to a 1-1 draw by Congo.

As they resume their quest for a historic first-ever qualification for the biggest global showpiece, Thierry Mouyouma's troops face their toughest test yet, but they won't be intimidated by the mighty Elephants, as they once brought them to their knees when they last clashed in a triumphant 2-1 victory at the Stade de la Paix back in 2017 during the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, a span of seven years truly signifies a considerable timeframe, and on this occasion, we harbor skepticism regarding Gabon's capacity to reproduce their astonishing performance from 2017, particularly given the fact that their offensive prowess will be notably compromised by the absence of their top goal scorer of all time, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, along with Denis Bouanga, who brought both victories in the first two matches of the qualifiers. As a result, we expect the high-flying Elephants to once again showcase their fiery offensive power to trample the Panthers and thereby isolate themselves at the top of Group F table.