Africa Cup of Nations: Libya v Senegal Odds and Betting Preview

BATA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA - Senegal take on Libya tonight in Bata, hoping to restore pride after a catastrophic Africa Cup of Nations, in which they became the first team to be eliminated from the competition.

Amara Traoré’s were amongst the favourites for the tournament when betting opened, but now the best that Senegal can hope for is a win against Libya, which is priced up at 11/10 with Sky Bet and Ladbrokes. A draw would leave both sides feeling frustrated by the final whistle and is a 12/5 shot with Stan James, whilst a win for Libya could see them progress to the quarter-finals and is 7/2 with bet365.

The pre-tournament gamble on Senegal went spectacularly wrong with defeats to minnows Zambia and co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, which means they can no longer qualify for the quarter-finals, even if they do pick up three meaningless points this evening in Bata. European interest in the Senegalese national team surrounded the Newcastle duo Papiss Cissé and Demba Ba, whilst former Ligue 1 players Moussa Sow and Mamadou Niang added strength to their challenge, at least on paper anyway. Kily Álvarez’s 94th minute goal sent Senegal packing on Wednesday night, and most of the squad would rather return to their clubs than have to play in a half-empty stadium tonight. Nevertheless, bet365 have seen money for Senegal and quote them at 10/11 to win the match after 90 minutes.

Libya are still in with a shout of qualifying, but they will need to thump hapless Senegal and rely on co-hosts Equatorial Guinea beating off a gallant Zambia side in a packed-out stadium in Malabo at the same time. Anything is possible in this tournament of shocks, but to put thing into context The Mediterranean Knights were recently matched at 649/1 on Betfair to win the tournament. Key to their challenge tonight will be Ahmed Saad Osman, who has the most international experience in the Libya squad and scored two goals against Zambia to earn a 2-2 draw.

With Senegal favourites to win the match, the preferred scorelines in the correct score betting are all in favour of Traoré’s men. 1-0 to Senegal heads the market at 11/2 with William Hill, who offer the same price on a disappointing 1-1 stalemate. 0-0 will tempt in the pessimists at 8/1 with Stan James, whilst it will take a brave punter to back Senegal to coast to a 2-0 success at 17/2 with William Hill. Libya are 9/1 with bet365 to edge the encounter 1-0, and it is a bonus for bettors that the firm will refund losing stakes if the match finishes in a ‘bore draw’. With Libya needing to score goals to have any chance of progressing, it is interesting to see a 2-0 win for Marcos Paqueta’s side as big as 20/1 with bet365, although Senegal are not going to hand them a win on a plate.

Premier League star Demba Ba is 11/2 with Paddy Power to score the first goal of the game, but the Senegalese star is having a poor tournament by his high standards. With captain Niang also not firing, it may be a good idea to chance Moussa Sow in the first goalscorer betting at 13/2 with bet365. Sow equalised in the last match and will be on a high after signing a lucrative contract with Turkish side Fenerbahçe earlier this month. As for Libya, Saad is their best hope and can be punted at 13/2 with bet365 and bwin, and he also makes a bit of appeal in the anytime goalscorer market at 12/5 with Paddy Power.

Senegal are attractively-priced at 13/5 with Ladbrokes to lead at half-time and full-time, whereas Libya/Libya looks unlikely at 13/2 with William Hill. In other markets ‘both teams to score’ is 11/10 with Stan James and over 2.5 goals is at 11/8 with Sky Bet having been backed across the boards by punters.

The match kicks-off at 7.00pm local time on Sunday 29 January, which is 6.00pm in the UK. It is live on British Eurosport 2.

Libya v Senegal Match Odds

Libya v Senegal First Goalscorer Odds

Libya v Senegal HT/FT Odds

Libya v Senegal Correct Score Odds