Cape Verde vs Mozambique Prediction: Bebe to provide bite in attack for Blue Sharks

Two of the surprise sides from the first round of fixtures at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations meet in Abidjan on Friday afternoon (KO, 14:00), as Cape Verde and Mozambique clash at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny.

Cape Verde kicked off their Group B campaign with a 2-1 win over Ghana on Sunday night, hours after Mozambique held Egypt to a 2-2 draw.

The Mambas were actually minutes away from claiming a historical victory over the Pharaohs before Mohamed Salah's 97th-minute penalty put paid to their hopes.

Regardless, both sides will arrive into this one with their tails up and hoping for a positive result to advance their chances of reaching the round of 16.

Team News

Jamiro Monteiro and Garry Rodrigues were the goalscoring heroes for Cape Verde against Ghana, and the latter will hope his winner against the Black Stars was enough to secure a start this time around.

Ex-Manchester United attacker Bebe was heavily involved in that game, taking five shots, and he should keep his place in the forward line alongside Jovane Cabral and Ryan Mendes.

Mozambique went into the interval a goal down to Egypt before scoring an equaliser in the 55th-minute and following it up three minutes later with a goal through Clesio Bauque. The 29-year-old was a half-time substitute alongside Bruno Langa, and the duo will expect to have done enough to replace Gildo and 40-year-old Domingues in the starting XI on Friday.

Match Odds

Cape Verde won the last meeting between these sides in March 2021 and the Blue Sharks are 11/10 to come out on top once again, with the draw at 15/8 and Mozambique 13/5 to claim all three points.

Both teams to score won in the first two fixtures of Group B and it's 6/5 for these sides to kick the second round of fixtures off with BTTS - Yes.

Cape Verde or draw and both teams to score - yes @ 7/4

Both teams scored twice in their first group game against a couple of the continent's powerhouses, so they should both be confident of finding the net against each other in Friday's fixture.

Mozambique's efforts were particularly impressive given Egypt's strong defensive record heading into the contest, while Cape Verde racked up an xG of 2.92 against Ghana, with five of their 15 efforts hitting the target.

Both teams have scored in five of Cape Verde's last eight matches, one fewer than Mozambique across the same number.

Adding Cape Verde or draw boosts the odds a little and they should get the point they need to all but secure qualification from Group B.

Bebe (Tiago Manuel Dias Correira) to score anytime @ 5/2

The 33-year-old isn't remembered too fondly in England, but he's certainly forged a decent career in Spain with Rayo Vallecano, whom he has scored twice for in La Liga this season against Real Sociedad and Las Palmas.

Bebe also has an impressive international record, scoring five times in 16 appearances for his nation, including a goal against Algeria last October.

As previously mentioned, he wasn't shy to shoot against Ghana, and that's the sort of confidence Cape Verde need as they look to beat Mozambique and secure their spot in the knockouts.

Check out the rest of our AFCON Betting Tips here.