Benin vs Botswana Prediction: Zebras to fall prey to hungry Cheetahs

Benin and Botswana both lost their opening game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Congo DR and a 3-0 reverse to Senegal, respectively. The two teams face off against each other at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat on Saturday (12:30 GMT, 4Seven), looking to gain their first point(s) in Group D.

Below you can find my Benin vs Botswana predictions, featuring team news and match odds.

Team News

Junior Olaitan, Steve Mounie, Andreas Hountondji, Mohamed Tijani, and Marcel Dandjinou are back from suspension for Benin.

National team captain Mounie, two goals shy of the Cheetahs' all-time leading marksman, Stephane Sessegnon (24), is set to start up top for Gernot Rohr's side on Saturday.

Football Odds

As for Botswana, Thabo Maponda and Thabang Sesinyi are among the potential inclusions in Morena Ramoreboli's starting XI after both coming on in the 61st minute of Tuesday's defeat in Tanger.

Benin vs Botswana Odds

Benin are 8/11 to claim all three points in Rabat, implying a 57.9% probability of success, with Botswana 9/2, or an 18.2% chance, to secure their first-ever victory at an Afcon. Meanwhile, the draw is offered at 12/5.

Botswana To Score In Both Halves has been boosted from 13/2 to 15/2.

Bet Builder - Benin or Draw & Tamimou Ouorou (BEN) 2+ Shots @ 11/4

It would be something of a shock if Botswana, ranked 138th in the world by Fifa, were to beat Benin (92) in Rabat.

Benin were only edged out by Congo DR in their first game, and while Botswana showed spirit in their defeat to Senegal, ultimately, there were three goals between the sides, and there could have been a few more.

So, backing Benin on the Double Chance looks like a fairly safe selection, and we can bring the Bet Builder to life by adding on a couple of shots for Benin left-back Tamimou Ouorou, who tried his luck three times from distance against Congo DR.

The 22-year-old wasn't shy to shoot against the Leopards, and with Benin expected to dominate proceedings on Saturday, he could find himself in more shooting positions against Botswana.

To Win to Nil - Benin @ 11/8

Goals may not flow in this one, so it might be worth backing Benin to win without conceding.

Four of their five wins in World Cup qualifying were to nil, while Botswana blanked in half (five) of their qualifiers.

The Zebras showed little attacking intent against Senegal, and while they are likely to come out of their shell more against Benin, I'm not sure they have the requisite firepower to harm their opponents' goal.

Today's Football Fixtures