The best action to follow this weekend
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Saturday
? We have reached the last eight at the Africa Cup of Nations and our thoughts remain with those affected by the tragic events outside the Olembé Stadium earlier in the week.
All games at this stage have consequently been moved to other grounds and that will see host nation Cameroon face Gambia in Douala on Saturday.
The Gambia are ranked 150 in the world according to FIFA but have been enjoying a dream debut appearance at the finals, finishing second in their group and beating Mali to reach this point. Cameroon though will prove a stiffer test as the tournament’s top scorers and led by Vincent Aboubakar up front – the first man this century to score more than five goals in a single AFCON.
Saturday’s other quarter-final is perhaps a surprise one with Burkina Faso, who overcame Gabon on penalties in the Round of 16 taking on Tunisia, who were victors against the previously impressive Nigeria.
?? Flicking through the app this weekend, you may well be missing your usual fix of big domestic league action but don’t worry – there’s still some decent games to look out for! And from France, that comes in the form of the Coupe de France.
The Round of 16 gets underway on Friday night but Saturday’s biggest game comes on the country’s Mediterranean coast where Ligue 1 giants Marseille take on Montpellier. The last three meetings between these two have seen a total of 15 goals scored.
?? In Portugal, the Taça da Liga takes centre stage on Saturday evening with the 2021/22 final being contested by Lisbon rivals, Benfica and Sporting.
Sporting are the defending champions going in to the game but perhaps surprisingly, in a country dominated by the big three (Benfica, Sporting plus Porto), this is just the second time that these two have met in the showpiece final. The last one came back in 2009 with Benfica winning on penalties.
??????? The English Championship is one high level league that is carrying on as normal this weekend, with games spread over the next few days.
Leaders Fulham face mid-table Blackpool and will be looking to extend their run of four back-to-back wins, a period in which they’ve scored a whopping 22 goals!
Among the chasers, Blackburn Rovers go to Luton Town (10th), Bournemouth visit bottom side Barnsley and Queens Park Rangers host another of the struggling sides, Reading (21st).
Sunday
? The drama of World Cup Qualifying will be where we’re focusing most of our attention on Sunday, with games in the Concacaf Octagonal top of the bill. This is the final stage of qualifying for this federation and for the first time since their only other appearance back in 1986, Canada are on the verge of reaching the finals.
But with five rounds left to play and only five points separating Canada from Panama, current occupants of the inter-continental play-off place, it’s not guaranteed just yet! Which makes Sunday’s game against old rivals the United States all the more crucial. The USMNT sit second and will be determined to end Canada’s unbeaten campaign but could be forgiven for having one eye on the nations coming up behind them in the group.
For their part, Mexico will look to follow Thursday’s comeback win in Jamaica with something a little more comfortable at home vs. Costa Rica. And Honduras and El Salvador, the bottom two face each other in a game that always has a lot at stake, particularly if you know the history between these two.
? Sunday’s quarter-finals at the Africa Cup of Nations gives us the opportunity to cast an eye over three of the remaining favourites.
Record seven-time winners Egypt haven’t set the tournament alight so far but will come in to their game against Morocco on a high after a penalty shootout victory over the dangerous Côte d’Ivoire. For their part, Morocco have been one of the more exciting sides with the likes of Romain Saïss, Selim Amallah and Achraf Hakimi all making our team of the Round of 16 after beating Malawi.
Senegal feature in the late game and will start as overwhelming favourites against Equatorial Guinea. That is despite concerns over the fitness of Liverpool striker Sadio Mané who suffered a concussion in the last round vs. Cape Verde. Despite their lowly FIFA ranking of 114th, Equatorial Guinea have a surprisingly good tournament record having never failed to make the last eight in any of their three appearances at the finals.
?? Lastly and returning to the Coupe de France, two further games to let you know about on Sunday.
Bergerac of the regionalised fourth tier have already knocked out Metz en route to the Round of 16 and as such, will fancy their chances against another Ligue 1 club, the struggling Saint-Etienne. Meanwhile the all-Ligue 1 clash between Lens and Monaco pits two very evenly matched sides against each other – both are locked on 33 points with identical W9 D6 L7 records in the league.
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Cover Image from IMAGO