Gabon vs Ivory Coast Prediction 31 December 2025
🔊 Can Gabon throw a wrench in Côte d'Ivoire's plans to top their group? Aubameyang and his squad head into the final round of the Africa Cup of Nations group stage without a single point-marking the end of their tournament journey. Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire are on the brink of advancing to the playoffs, but they still need to take one more step. Bookmakers have labeled the "Elephants" as clear favorites for the match scheduled on December 31 at the Marrakesh Stadium in the city of the same name. But is this assessment justified?
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past decade, the national teams have faced off in five official matches, with the Ivorians emerging victorious in three of them. Notably, Côte d'Ivoire proved stronger than Gabon (1-0; 0-0) in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, edging out their rivals by a single point to top the group and secure a spot in the tournament's final stage.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Gabon Team Overview
It's hard not to label it as such, but it's fair to say Gabon had a disappointing tournament. Being placed in the 'group of death' alongside two of the continent's top teams made it difficult to expect success from the start. However, their impressive performance in the World Cup qualifiers had given fans hope. And they did start off on a decent note. Yes, they lost to Cameroon (0-1), but they put up a fight and overall looked solid.
The crucial match awaited the 'Panthers' in the second round, and they lost it despite being favorites against Mozambique (2-3). Thierry Muyuma's protégés had a disastrous first half, nearly facing a rout. Ultimately, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 40th goal for the national team offered a glimmer of hope for a comeback, but an early goal conceded after the break effectively dashed Gabon's tournament ambitions. To their credit, the 'Panthers' fought until the end, pulling one back, but it was scant consolation.
Match Results: Gabon
Ivory Coast Team Overview
In the previous Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivorians barely scraped through the group stage with three points, but this time they are exuding confidence. This newfound assurance is primarily due to their victory over Mozambique (1-0) in the tournament opener. The Elephants dominated their opponents across all metrics and should have scored more if not for their finishing issues.
These same issues resurfaced in their clash with Cameroon (1-1). Despite generating 1.29 expected goals (xG), Emerse Faé's squad managed to breach the Indomitable Lions' defense just once. Amad Diallo was the man to do it, executing a superb curling shot. The Manchester United winger scored in his second consecutive match and was once again named Man of the Match.
Match Results: Ivory Coast
Latest news
Gabon
❗ Thierry Muyuma expressed his dissatisfaction with the national team's captain following the match against Mozambique. Bruno Ecuele Manga struggled during a corner, leading to the first conceded goal, and then gave away a penalty that resulted in the second. The central defender was substituted at halftime and is unlikely to feature in the third round.
✅ Gabon have no roster issues: there are no injured or suspended players.
Ivory Coast
🎙 Emers Fae at the press conference following the match against Cameroon: "This is exactly why we love the Africa Cup of Nations - it was a hard-fought battle. Both teams played with intensity, created chances, and no one sat back. A fair draw against a Cameroon side that presented a tactical challenge. I'm pleased with both the performance and the result. The only regret is that we lacked cunning after scoring. Instead of chasing the opponent, we should have slowed down, forced Cameroon to open up and create space, and then exploited it. We conceded the equalizer too soon."
❌ Sébastien Haller, Nicolas Pépé, Jérémie Boga, and Christian Kouamé did not make the squad for the tournament. Of the players called up for the Africa Cup, everyone is ready to take the field.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
In six consecutive Africa Cup of Nations matches, Ivory Coast have scored in the second half. Often, the Ivorians save their only goal for the latter 45 minutes. While this isn't a conscious strategy, the trend is significant nonetheless. Gabon struggled defensively against Mozambique, which makes the continuation of this pattern quite likely.
🚩 Corner Prediction
In Gabon's last seven official matches, there have been at least eight corners - quite a notable statistic. Meanwhile, the Ivorians are keeping pace, averaging eight corner kicks per game during the current Africa Cup of Nations. Interestingly, both the "Panthers" and the "Elephants" have an identical average of 11 corners per match in the tournament. All these factors make a bet on over 8.5 corners more than justified.
Editorial Prediction
The Gabon national team will take to the field without any tournament pressure, but with the desire to make a strong statement in their final match. As such, our editorial team is skeptical of an easy win for Ivory Coast. We anticipate that, much like in the World Cup qualifiers, Gabon will present a stern challenge to the "Elephants." This time, however, we expect a more high-scoring affair with a narrow victory for the favorites-2-1 in favor of Ivory Coast.
Yet, outcomes in the Africa Cup of Nations can be unpredictable, so we recommend placing a bet on a smaller market-over 8.5 corners. Both teams frequently utilize set pieces, and with an open game expected from both sides, chances should be abundant, leading to numerous corners.
Betting Tips: Gabon - Ivory Coast
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Comparison of Teams Stats
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