Africa Cup of Nations 2013 TV Schedule: Day 8 Live Stream Info and Predictions
After starting Group D play off with victories in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast and Tunisia will square off on the pitch on Saturday.
Togo and Algeria, who lost to Ivory Coast and Tunisia, respectively, will try to get off the snide in the other Group D match.
Ivory Coast is widely regarded as the favorite of the group, placing second in the tournament in 2010.
Here's a look at Day 8 of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, complete with schedule information and predictions.
When: Saturday, Jan. 26
TIme: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET
Where: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, South Africa
Stage: Group D
Watch: EuroSport (Live Stream only in U.S.)
Live Stream: ESPN3
Ivory Coast vs. Tunisia: 10 a.m. ET
Ivory Coast's 2-1 victory over Togo on Tuesday was a reminder of how talented this side is. Boasting a collection of stars on offense and defense, the Elephants are extremely dangerous and are capable of winning the tournament this year.
Not only did the reliable Yaya Toure score for Ivory Coast on Tuesday, but Gervinho came out of the shadows to give the side a boast. Gervinho, who has had his fair share of troubles at Arsenal, showed on Tuesday that he still has the touch in international play. That's scary, considering the Elephants are already loaded.
Tunisia, which captured the Africa Cup of Nations back in 2004, did what it does best on Tuesday against Algeria: play rock-solid defense. The 1-0 victory was the epitome of this side.
The Carthage Eagles certainly have the defense to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament this year, but the main obstacle will be putting up enough offense. Beyond 22-year-old Youssef Msakni (who scored the lone goal against Algeria), there isn't great attacking power.
I see both of these sides advancing to the quarterfinals, but Ivory Coast has the offense to dispose of Tunisia on Saturday.
Prediction: Ivory Coast 1, Tunisia 0
Algeria vs. Togo: 1 p.m. ET
Algeria is a very young team, and the concern coming into the tournament was whether or not the Fennecs could score enough to advance far into the tournament. That concern was not alleviated on Tuesday against Tunisia, as they were shut out and failed to even score a draw despite allowing just one goal.
Sofiane Feghouli and El Arbi Hillel Soudani must step up on offense if Algeria is to get past the group stage at this point.
On the other hand, Togo tends to be a one-dimensional team behind forward Emmanuel Adebayor, and the defense can be beat, as evidenced in the 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast, allowing the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.
While Algeria tends to have trouble scoring goals, the side does have the defense to cause problems for Adebayor and company. It all adds up to a draw for me, which doesn't exactly help either side.
Prediction: Algeria 1, Togo 1
What are your thoughts?
