Equatorial Guinea vs Algeria Prediction: This encounter will produce fewer goals

On Thursday, Equatorial Guinea will face off against Algeria in their final home game of the competition at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Stadium. The Elephants hope to book their ticket to Morocco next year with a stalemate here while the guests will play to sustain their spot on the FIFA Ranking charts. 

Equatorial Guinea

FIFA Ranking: 88th

Last five matches: WLDWW

The Elephants returned to winning ways with back-to-back victories against Cape Verde, Liberia. Since their opening-day defeat against Algeria, Equatorial Guinea rebounded with a stalemate against Togo and a slim (1) victory over Liberia. More recently, they picked up another impressive win over Liberia on the road, scoring twice and conceding once. After their successful run in the AFCON Championship last year, Equatorial Guinea will be poised to secure their spot in the forthcoming edition and will have to do better in their next two games. 

Equatorial Guinea have picked up seven points from a combined twelve, sitting in second place on the standing. 

Juan Micha's men are always very direct with their game plan; however, they have a stern test ahead of their clash against a solid Algerian team tomorrow. 

Algeria

FIFA Ranking: 37th

Last five games: WWWWW

Vladimir Petkovic continues his fine form since his arrival with another emphatic victory over Togo lately. In a game where they conceded ten shots at goal, Algeria were tactically ahead of their opponent, scoring from the spot-kick and defending with their lives. Goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz picked up the Man of the Match award after making ten saves in the game. 

Before then, Desert Foxes put up one of their best performances in a while, scoring five times against Togo on their ground. It was more like a training ground for Algeria, who created eight big chances and converted five of their eight shots at goal. 

Algeria have started their qualifying round on high with four consecutive wins against Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and Togo. 

Algeria moved three places up in the latest FIFA rankings following their recent run. They have booked their place in Morocco next year and will play for pride here. 

Expert Betting Tips

The reverse leg was all about Algeria, who created six big chances but converted two. Equatorial Guinea were one of the best-performing sides in the group phase of the AFCON Tournament early this year but have since not been able to replicate such performance. Even though they have won back-to-back games, it was more about their opponent, who are one of the worst-ranked sides in the tournament. They’ll face off against a not-so-motivated Algeria team on their ground, and we think they’ll give the hosts a run for their money; regardless, we expect this game to produce more goals after the break for 2.21.

We also think both teams will settle for a halftime stalemate here at 1.98.

Algeria have been pretty decent defensively, and we think they’ll keep a clean sheet here.

Good luck!