Eritrea vs South Africa — Tips & Analysis

Under 3.25: South Africa are much the better team, but they do not run up big scores. Their last five games produced 3, 1, 1, 2 and 2 goals, and 12 of their last 14 finished with 3 goals or fewer. They score more than a goal a game. They needed a substitute's goal in the 77th minute to beat Guinea 2-1 last time out. Eritrea will make this hard work. They score less than a goal a game and have scored more than once only twice in their last eight. They held Kenya to a 1-1 tie in their opening group game, and they got here by beating Eswatini 2-0 and 2-1. Expect them to pack the middle and defend in numbers. The game is in Cairo because Eritrea have no approved stadium of their own, so no crowd pushes either side on. These two countries have never met before, so there is nothing else to read into. One South African goal looks the likeliest way this is decided, and a 0-1 is a good night for us. The caution is Eritrea's record. Their last eight games came against modest opposition, so their numbers may not hold up here. If South Africa get an early goal and run away with it, four goals would sink this. We still expect a low-scoring game.