Mali v Ivory Coast – World Cup 2018 Qualifications
Today we will be looking at Group C of World Cup qualifications, where Mali will take on Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast is seemingly dominating the group stage, with 7 points (2-1-1). They have got a good record, however, they more than disappointed in their last match against a huge underdog Gabon (1:2). To add salt to their wounds, Ivory Coast lost at a home pitch. The match started with a quick goal from the visiting team in 19′. Gabon even further extended their lead in 29′, with a great goal from Lemina. Ivory Coast managed to reduce the deficit in 53′ with a goal of their own but failed to equalize in the remaining 28 minutes. Despite the first goal being a result of a lucky bounce, the final result is a fair representation of how well the teams played. The home side is not in a great position in this qualifier. They sit at the last spot with only 2 points (0-2-2). We can safely assume they won’t qualify this year, however, they have a great chance to prove themselves today. Mali has met with Ivory Coast last year at this venue and they won. In addition, they seem to be playing very well at home, as the only 2 points they got in this group stage came from 2 draws at home against Morroco (0:0) and Gabon (0:0). This match could easily end the same way as the last H2H did, with a win for Mali. The fact that Ivory Coast is not in the best shape at the moment and Mali seems to have the talent to do the job today. We are going with the underdog to prove themselves, but looking at all the factors, Mali is not as big of an underdog as they come off to be.
Prediction: Mali +0.00 Asian Handicap (same as draw no bet option)
Odds: 2.57 Pinnacle, 2.64 5Dimes
