Somalia vs Ivory Coast — Tips & Analysis

Under 4: Somalia barely score, so almost everything in this game has to come from one side. They have scored once in their last 10 games and score less than a goal a game. Their run reads no wins, 5 ties and 12 losses in 17, and it is built on deep defending and goalless ties. Their games have averaged just over 2 goals in total. Ivory Coast are far the better team and beat Ghana 2-0 last time out. They score 2 goals a game and let in less than a goal a game. What matters is how they win: 2-0 over Ghana, 3-0 over Burkina Faso, 2-0 in Curacao, 1-0 against Ecuador and 1-0 against Mozambique. In their last 14 games they won by more than three goals only once. They have also been making fewer chances than their goal record suggests. This one is at the Accra Sports Stadium, so neither team is at home. Ivory Coast are expected to name much the same team that won in Abidjan, and they have no reason to chase a big score. A 2-0 Ivory Coast win is the most likely finish, and that sits comfortably inside what we want. The worry is who Somalia have been playing. Their record came against weaker sides, so their defending may not hold up as well here. If the block cracks early, Ivory Coast could keep adding goals late on. We still want the lower-scoring game.