Monday's Africa Cup of Nations predictions and free football tips: Champions can cruise to victory

Best bets

Senegal to win to nil
Sky Sports Football, 2pm Monday
2pts 8-11 bet365, Betway

Both teams to score in Cameroon v Gambia
Sky Sports Football, 5pm Monday
1pt 6-5 bet365

Mohammed Amoura to score in Algeria v Angola
Sky Sports Football, 8pm Monday
1pt 17-10 Betfair, Paddy Power

Monday's Africa Cup of Nations football predictions

Reigning champions Senegal begin their title defence in the first match on Monday and should get their tournament off to a perfect start against Gambia, who are yet to beat the Lions of Teranga in 13 attempts - losing ten of those. 

The champions' preparation for the tournament could not have gone much better, losing just one of their last 14 matches in a run which has included victories over Brazil and Cameroon, and they have kept a clean sheet in their last four outings. 

That, coupled with their record against Gambia, would suggest Senegal should make a dream start to their Afcon title defence. 

Gambia failed to net in their warm-up game against Ivory Coast - a side with a similar level of talent to the Lions of Teranga - and they may struggle to score in their opener. 

With Sadio Mane and Nicolas Jackson in attack, the champions will always be dangerous going forwards, but this is a notoriously defence-first footballing competition, with games regularly decided by a single goal. 

Luckily for Senegal, they are strong in that department too. Kalidou Koulibaly is still one of the best defenders in Africa and Edouard Mendy is a solid shot-stopper, suggesting the Lions of Teranga can keep a clean sheet while earning three points in the process. 

The second game of the day sees Senegal's likeliest rivals for top spot in Group B face off, with Cameroon taking on Guinea. 

Cameroon are the second-most successful side in Afcon history, - lifting the trophy five times - but they have not been in the best form ahead of this tournament, winning only two of their last ten matches. 

In contrast, Guinea have won five of their last ten and beat a talented Nigeria side 2-0 in their most recent outing. 

Boasting Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy - who has 17 goals in 14 Bundesliga games this season and is expected to be fit despite taking a knock against the Super Eagles - among their ranks as well as European-based midfielders Naby Keita and Ilaix Moriba, Guinea could surprise a few in this tournament. 

With that firepower at their disposal and Cameroon having recently conceded in draws with Zambia and Libya - who are placed 38 and 74 spots lower than them in the Fifa world rankings respectively - the National Elephants should net in this fixture. 

So should Cameroon, however, despite their recent struggles, even without the tournament's last golden boot winner Vincent Aboubakar leading the line after he suffered a minor injury on Friday. Karl Toko Ekambi netted five times at the 2021 Afcon and is a more-than-capable replacement for the Indomitable Lions' captain. 

Both teams have scored in six of Guinea's last nine games and the same outcome should be backed in this clash between two closely-matched sides.

The final match of the day sees 2019 champions Algeria take on Angola, and the Fennec Foxes should have no issues against a side who have just one win in their last ten matches. 

Mohammed Amoura is making his name as a livewire forward in Belgium, scoring 13 goals in 15 league matches for Union Saint-Gilloise while taking a huge 5.26 shots per 90 minutes. 

He has already scored six goals in 20 games for Algeria, despite coming off the bench for most of those appearances, suggesting he could net against Angola who are 87 places worse off than the Greens in the Fifa world rankings.

Click for more free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.