Saturday's action in the AFCON finals comes Group D and the first game sees Botswana take on Guinea with both sides looking to bounce back from losing their opening games of the tournament.

Franceville once again plays host to Group D and the opening matches here were both settled by a single goal. Guinea were edged out by a first half Mali strike whilst Ghana came out on top against Botswana by the same scoreline. If we get a winner here that nation will be right back in contention whilst the loser is highly likely to have shot their bolt although it does depend on how the later match between Ghana and Mail goes.

The Zebras as Botswana are known were always likely to be up against it in facing Ghana first up and so it proved although they did threaten a goal on a couple of occasions, not least when Ghana skipper John Mensah was sent off for a professional foul on Jerome Ramatlhakwane who was bearing down on goal at the time. They also had a goal-bound effort cleared off the line but the Zebras set their stall out with the emphasis on being hard to break down. Despite the numerical advantage in the last 25 minutes or so, Botswana were unable to level things up and the Black Stars first half goal proved enough. A different game plan will be needed here.

Guinea were very unfortunate to lose their opening match 1-0 to Mali. On the balance of play they deserved at least least a draw but it wasn't a bad performance against a well organized side. Failing to score for the first time eight matches, Guinea came up against some inspired defending and the Mali goalkeeper also pulled off some crucial saves. The defeat heaps pressure on Guinea to put things right here, especially as they will face Ghana in their final group match.

Unfortunately we don't have any recent head to head date to work with. Back in 2005, Guinea beat Botswana 2-1 and 4-0 in a World Cup qualifying group although they failed to make the finals in Germany the following year.

The Betting, Match Result

Botswana 4/1 World Sports Betting, BetXchange

Draw 5/2 BetXchange

Guinea 9/10 Ladbrokes

Note, odds are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Not all bookmakers had priced up at the time of writing and many more markets are available. Watch out for the option to bet “in play” where available

Analysis

Except the respective performances from the opening matches we have little to go on here but Guinea really took my eye with their display against Mali. It's a real high stakes game so I don't consider Guinea banker material but I do think they are the better equipped of these two sides to put themselves back into contention for a quarter final place.

Bet: Guinea to win, 9/10 Ladbrokes

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