Africa Cup of Nations: Ghana v Mali Odds and Betting Preview

FRANCEVILLE, GABON - Ghana and Mali take each other on tonight at the Stade de Franceville in what looks to be the Group D decider, with Ghana installed as the clear favourites to win with the bookmakers.

The Black Stars got off to a perfect start with a 1-0 win over Botswana and are expected to notch up another three points tonight. Ghana are best-priced at 17/20 with William Hill for the win, with Mali on offer at 4/1 with bet365 and bwin. A draw can be backed at 5/2 with Coral for those that fancy a tight game.

Ghana are now the second-favourites to win the Africa Cup of Nations at 3/1 with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes, but more so by default rather than actually taking the competition by storm. Nigeria, Togo and Cameroon are all absent, whilst Morocco and Senegal have already been eliminated from the competition. Despite winning 2-0 against Burkina Faso two nights ago, the favourites Ivory Coast have not been that convincing, which is why punters are looking to teams like Ghana and Gabon at bigger prices. Captain John Mensah scored against Botswana, but tonight fans of the Black Stars will once again be looking to 2010 World Cup hero Asamoah Gyan, who has a tremendous goalscoring record for his national side.

On the other hand, Mali will also be looking to bag the all-important three points, which would help them on their way to topping Group D, giving them a supposedly ‘easier’ quarter-final. Nancy midfielder Bakaye Traoré was the hero against Guinea, but surely if the Eagles are to get a result against Ghana they will need a massive performance from captain Seydou Keita, as well as former Newcastle target Modibo Maiga, although the Sochaux player was very quiet in the opener.

A 1-0 win for Ghana is the favourite in the first goalscorer betting at 5/1 with Blue Square, with 2-0 to the Black Stars also considered at 13/2 with Betfred and Coral. A 0-0 bore draw may interest pessimists at 13/2 with Blue Square, whereas 1-1 has been supported into odds of 5/1 with Sky Bet. Mali fans can try backing a 1-0 win for the Eagles at 10/1 with Coral, although the 8/1 with bet365 does not look too bad considering they will refund your stake if the match finishes goalless. John Mensah is probably going to be sorely missed in the Ghana defence this evening, so if you are going with goals, then 2-1 to Mali could be a wise play at 18/1 with bet365.

The favourite to open the scoring is Asamoah Gyan, who now plays his football in the UAE. Gyan is a 4/1 poke with Ladbrokes and Blue Square, but given his recent injury niggles, he probably will not last the 90 minutes tonight, which has to be a negative if you are considering a punt on a player. Jordan Ayew is given a better chance of opening the scoring than his brother Andre, and he is at 7/1 with Ladbrokes. Barcelona’s Keita is 18/1 with bet365 to open the scoring on behalf of Mali.

In the half-time/full-time betting, Ghana/Ghana is the favourite at 21/10 with Irish firm Boylesports. Draw/Ghana is next at 10/3 with Ladbrokes, which looks like a fairly attractive price given how they struggled against Botswana. In other markets, ‘both teams to score’ is on offer at 6/4 with bet365, and Gyan can be supported to score two or more goals in the game at 10/1 with Sporting Bet. Finally a red card is a 9/2 chance with William Hill, and the referee will be Algeria’s Djamel Haimoudi.

The match kicks-off at 8.00pm local time on Saturday 28 January, which is 7.00pm in the UK. It is live on Eurosport.   Compare Ghana v Mali Match Odds