African Cup Of Nations 
/ James Eastham / 25 January 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Dider Drogba scored the winner in Ivory Coast's opening game
Burkina Faso's opening performance and Ivory Coast’s immense attacking potential (their squad contains Gervinho, Max Gradel, Seydou Doumbia, Salomon Kalou and Yaya Toure) makes over 2.5 goals a worthwhile option.
James Eastham believes Ivory Coast's second group game will be a high-scoring encounter.
Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso, 19:00 GMT, Match Odds: Ivory Coast [1.49], Burkina Faso [9.2], The Draw [4.4].
Ivory Coast failed to live up to expectations in managing only a 1-0 victory over Sudan last Sunday, but how often do tournament favourites earn spectacular opening-day wins? If tournaments are all about peaking at the right time, there was enough in The Elephants' performance to suggest there's plenty more to come from them.
Ivory Coast will be confident going into the game thanks to those 3pts already in the bag (you can read a report of their win here). In contrast, Burkina Faso are under pressure having lost 2-1 to Angola in their opening game. The highlight of their match was Alain Traore's 25-yard free-kick, but some of their defending was below-par, suggesting Ivory Coast will get plenty of scoring opportunities if they pick their moments carefully.
Burkina's performance and Ivory Coast's immense attacking potential (Drogba scored the winning goal over Sudan and their squad also contains Gervinho, Max Gradel, Seydou Doumbia, Salomon Kalou and Yaya Toure) makes over 2.5 goals a worthwhile option. At some point in the match, Burkina Faso will have to attack as Ivory Coast and Angola already have a win each and they must close the gap. Therefore I expect good scoring opportunities at both ends - and while Ivory Coast's attacking options are superior, Traore and Rennes winger Jonathan Pitroipa both have the ability to unlock the favourites' defence.
Over 2.5 Goals at [2.32] is my main pick on the game, and I wouldn't talk anybody out of backing Ivory Coast to collect 3pts in order to guarantee their safe passage to the knockout phase. The tournament favourites are [1.49] to win the match, so Ivory Coast -1.0 Asian handicap at [1.83] is an alternative.
An alternative to the Over 2.5 Goals bet is to back both teams to score at [2.22]. With this bet, you're covering the 1-1 draw.
Best Bet: Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso Over 2.5 Goals @ [2.32].
Other Recommended Bet: Ivory Coast -1.0 Asian Handicap @ [1.83].
* James Eastham's tips for betting.betfair.com made a profit at both the 2010 World Cup and 2011 Copa America
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