Africa Cup of Nations: Uganda’s Dream is Well and Truly Alive!

Egypt vs Uganda

There’s more Africa Cup of Nations action on the way this weekend with a fascinating story infolding in Group A, as outsiders Uganda could be on the way to the knockout phases.

Four points from two games has given Sebastien Desabre’s a wonderful chance to progress, they just need to hang on to that second place. The only thing is… they are up against hosts Egypt in their Cairo home next! The Pharaohs are the SBOBET AFCON favourites and have made a flawless start to their own campaign, and will want to keep the momentum going.

The latest Uganda vs Egypt betting odds suggest Javier Aguirre’s Pharaohs should make it three wins from three, but that outcome should still be enough to see Uganda through if the other Group A match goes to plan.

opacity 0

CLICK HERE
TO SEE UPDATED ODDS

2019 Africa Cup of Nations

Talking Points

Uganda in the driving seat

Zimbabwe could still steal second place from under Uganda’s noses with a win over DR Congo, but at odds of 2.71 the Cranes will hope they fail.

Uganda is in this position thanks to a first AFCON victory since 1978, the very same year that John Travolta and Olivia Newton John sparked a disco epidemic with their blockbuster movie Grease! The Cranes got off to a dream start at the Cairo International Stadium by beating the Democratic Republic of Congo 0-2.

This is only their second appearance in a major tournament since 1978, the last being in 2017 when they managed to win a single point. But they fully deserved their shock victory over DR Congo, with headed goals from Patrick Kaddu and Emmanuel Okwi. With more renowned names like Cedric Bakambu in their ranks DR Congo sit in 49^th place in the World FIFA Rankings, ahead of a strong Ghana side and 31 places ahead of Uganda. But they were no match for the flying Cranes over 90 minutes.

Kaddu could easily have had a second goal with a point blank header, and Michael Azira hit the crossbar with a 20 yard effort. Even goalkeeper Denis Onyagu got in on the act with a world class save from Bakambu.

Midfield star Farouk Miya is a creative force having been involved in Uganda’s last three AFCON goals, while Okwi scored his second of the tournament as they picked up another point in a well earned 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe.

If the Cranes can make it to the knockout phase that will be pretty big AFCON 2019 news but, you know what, it looks like they will.

Egypt aiming for a full house

The Pharaohs have been tournament favourites from the start and nothing in their first two games suggest that the odds are wide of the mark. Head coach Javier Aguirre has set up a well organised defensive line and knows he has goals in his locker with Mo Salah up front. After a 1-0 win in their opener against Zimbabwe,

Egypt aim to finish the group stage at the top when they face Uganda in Africa Cup of Nations — Egypt’s Mohamed Salah controls the ball during their match against DR Congo

Liverpool star striker Salah scored one and made one as Egypt eased into the knockout phase with a 2-0 win over DR Congo.

With second place up for grabs the Cranes have more to play for in theory, though third place with four points may already be enough, but Aguirre will not want his team to let up at all in its pursuit of the title.

History

The Pharaohs have dominated their opponents in the head to heads, winning ten of 11 meetings, though Uganda did grab their 1-0 victory as recently as August 2017.

Recent form is good on both sides; Uganda hasn’t lost in four matches, drawing with both Turkey and the Ivory Coast in the run up to this tournament, two tough sides to contend with, and the way the Cranes saw off DR Congo was highly impressive.

Meanwhile, Egypt is on a winning run of four matches and are favourites to make it five.

Betting Tip

	Egypt vs Uganda	Over 2.00 goals @ 1.87
	July 1, 03:00 (GMT+8)

The Cairo International Stadium will be bouncing on Sunday when the Pharaohs take the field, but this match looks like a bigger test now than we would have thought pre-tournament.

Uganda doesn’t have any household names but is playing as a well co-ordinated team and with no little confidence. All three results are quite possible with Egypt at 1.79, the draw at 3.05 and Uganda at odds of 4.20.

Home advantage and that extra bit of star quality should be enough to see Egypt through but the Cranes will fight for every scrap, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they bag another goal.