Ghana vs Cape Verde Prediction: More first-half misery for the Black Stars

Chris Hughton's Ghana begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a clash against Cape Verde in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Sunday evening (KO, 20:00).

The match is the second of the day in Group B and comes hot on the heels of the other participants Egypt and Mozambique, who play each other at the same venue (KO, 17:00).

Ghana are the third-most successful country in the competition having won the trophy four times in its history, but the Black Stars haven't lifted it since 1982 and confidence in the side has dwindled, particularly after group stage exits in both AFCON and the World Cup in the last two years.

Cape Verde, meanwhile, will compete in its fourth AFCON having debuted in 2013. The island country of West Africa qualified as one of the best third-placed teams in the previous tournament in Cameroon before being knocked out by eventual winners Senegal in the round of 16.

Team News

Ghana's preparations for the tournament were dealt a blow by the news that Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is unable to feature due to injury.

There are familiar names still around, though, with the Ayew brothers (Jordan - Crystal Palace, Andre - Le Havre) and ex-Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey (Besiktas) possessing plenty of international experience.

Any success Ghana have in this tournament is likely to be down to Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United) and Inaki Williams (Athletic Club), however, with the duo in great form in their respective leagues this season.

Cape Verde, meanwhile, will look to Ryan Mendes (Fatih Karagumruk) and Garry Rodrigues (Ankaragucu) to inspire their attack, with the former his nation's most-capped player (69) and joint-top for most goals (15).

Ex-Manchester United forward Bebe (Rayo Vallecano) is another name to look out for.

Match Odds

Ghana are 4/5 to start the tournament with a win against Cape Verde, who are 10/3 to take the victory themselves. The draw, meanwhile, is marketed at 9/4.

Both teams to score on Sunday is EVS and it's 6/5 for there to be over 2.5 goals.

Both teams to score - No @ 8/11

All four of the previous meetings between these sides has seen BTTS - No land, and while the last fixture between the pair came over 10 years ago, recent results suggest it could be the way to go again this Sunday.

Four of Ghana's last five games have seen at least one team fail to score, and they themselves have managed just one goal in that period.

BTTS - No has landed in Cape Verde's last three matches, with the Blue Sharks drawing blanks against both Tunisia and Angola.

Both nations are low on confidence heading into this one, and that could produce a turgid display on Sunday.

Half-time correct score - 0-0 @ 7/5

Only one of Ghana's last five contests have seen a first-half goal scored, and the Black Stars have only scored one goal before the interval in their last 11 games.

That run could well be extended in Abidjan, with Cape Verde sure to be pulling out all the stops to deny their opponents an opportunity to find the net early on.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.