The second of the AFCON quarter finals taking place on Saturday night sees co hosts Equatorial Guinea paired with tournament favourites Ivory Coast in Malabo.

Equatorial Guinea have done really well to emerge from a competitive looking Group A as runners up to Zambia and at the expense of Senegal and Libya. They sealed a quarter final place by winning their first two matches, 1-0 against Libya and 2-1 against Senegal with the winners coming in the dying moments of both games. They needed only a draw against Zambia in their final group game to top the group but they slipped to a 1-0 defeat which now means they face the tournament favourites whilst Zambia have a more winnable looking last eight tie with Sudan. Although the win over Senegal will especially give the hosts cause for optimism, that match was played in farcical conditions and the pitch may have been something of a leveler. As we will see from Ivory Coast's record in the tournament so far, the Elephants certainly appear to mean business this time around.

Ivory Coast emerged from Group B with a 100% record and they have yet to concede a goal in these finals. They started with a no more than workmanlike 1-0 win over Sudan where Drogba was on target in the first period. A goal in each half against Burkina Faso secured a quarter final spot and despite making wholesale changes for their final group match against Angola, they came out on top 2-0 with a goal either side of the break. Ivory Coast went out of AFCON 2010 at this stage of the competition, losing 3-2 to Algeria in extra time. They look mentally strong this time around and whilst not having produced any major fireworks so far, it could well be their best is yet to come.

The Betting, Match Result (90 minutes)

EQ Guinea 6/1 BetXchange, Sportsbet, World Sports Betting, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet

Draw 33/10 BetXchange, Sportsbet, World Sports Betting

Ivory Coast 9/20 Sportsbet, Voltbet

Selected Others (90 minutes)

Double Chance Draw/EQ Guinea 17/10 Sportsbet

HT/FT Ivory Coast/Ivory Coast 13/10 BetXchange

HT/FT Draw/Ivory Coast 7/2 Ladbrokes

Under 2.5 goals 6/10 BetXchange, Voltbet, World Sports Betting

Over 2.5 goals 13/10 BetXchange, Voltbet, World Sports Betting

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

It would be a major surprise if Ivory Coast don't progress with home advantage the only pointer I can find in Equatorial Guinea's favour. The Elephants have led at the break (and full time) in each of their games so far and I fancy them to do so again here.

Bet: HT/FT Ivory Coast/Ivory Coast, 13/10 BetXchange

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