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African Cup of Nations

Ghana should have plenty to celebrate against Namibia

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All the best betting options explained as Michael Essien's Ghana face no-hopers Namibia

The home fans - and punters - expect the floodgates to open as red-hot match favourites Ghana (1.13) take on minnows Namibia in Accra in their second game, after making a stuttering start to the competition.

Claude Le Roy's side struggled to see off Guinea in the tournament's opening match, with a last-gasp wonder strike from Sulley Muntari sparing their blushes to earn a 2-1 victory. The Portsmouth midfielder has scored four times for his club this season and is available at a big price to finish as the tournament's top goalscorer.

It is 26 years since Ghana, four times winners, last won the African Cup of Nations but there are plenty of punters who feel home support can help them claim the trophy again. The Black Stars are currently trading as [4.6] second favourites, behind Ivory Coast [3.55] and that price could contract further with an impressive display here.

The two sides have never met before, meaning there are no head-to-head statistics to rely on. However, with players of the calibre of Chelsea star Michael Essien and Udinese striker Asamoah Gyan, stats will surely not be required as Ghana look far too strong for their opponents who suffered a heavy defeat in their opening match and could struggle to keep the score respectable.

'Any Unquoted' within Betfair's Correct Score market has opened at a much shorter price than usual at [2.46] while the Over/Under markets also suggest a goal feast. Over 2.5 goals trades at just [1.45].

Namibia (25 to pull off an upset) were hammered 5-1 in their opening Group A clash with Morocco on Monday and are still seeking a first win in the African Cup of Nations.

Their only other appearance in the tournament came back in 1998, when they conceded 11 goals and finished bottom of their group and the odds on a Namibia clean sheet here will be very generous.

The chances of the second-least densely populated country in the world (behind Mongolia) popping up to score at the other end, as they did against Morocco in the 23rd minute through Brendell, will be reflected in the Ghana Clean Sheet market, which should make interesting reading.

Namibia's only point in the competition came ten years ago, when they drew 3-3 with Angola and the underdogs, 114th in the FIFA world rankings, are 8.2 to share the spoils with Ghana.

After their opening victory, Ghana are [1.01] favourites to qualify from Group A with Morocco trading at [1.23], Guinea [2.1] and Namibia [12.0].

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