Ivory Coast vs DR Congo Prediction and Betting Tips: Two punts for AFCON semi-final

The second of this year's AFCON semi-finals is live on BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and Sky Sports Premier League at 8pm GMT on Wednesday, as hosts Ivory Coast and 1974 winners DR Congo fight for a place in Sunday's final.

All four of the 2023 semi-finalists, Nigeria, South Africa, Ivory Coast and DR Congo, have won the Africa Cup of Nations before, however, it is The Leopards who've gone the longest since lifting the trophy; a whopping 50 years ago.

Standing in their way are the tournament hosts Ivory Coast, who've had a rollercoaster of a campaign, sacking their manager after a 4-0 final group game defeat which saw them just about squeeze through to the knockout stages before hiring the inexperienced Emerse Fae as interim coach, who then guided them through a nerve-racking penalty shootout victory over current holders Senegal.

The Elephants are 6/5 favourites for this semi-final tussle, with the Democratic Republic of Congo posing a 3/1 threat to clear the host nation. A draw is signalled at odds of 2/1, which may tempt a few given how Saturday's most recent quarter-final tie ended this way inside 90 minutes.

Saturday's quarter-final preview for Mali vs Ivory Coast yielded a winner for this particular selection and at the same odds with Sky Bet we're going back in on a familiar outcome.

As stated in that write up, this AFCON iteration had seen more penalties converted than any previous tournament before a ball had even been kicked in the quarter-finals. Since those four ties, a further two goals have been scored from the spot - both coming in Congo's 3-1 win over Guinea - in addition to one tie being settled from 12 yards.

That puts the 2023 tournament's total on 19 - only two shy of 2021's history-making tally. The continued importance of VAR cannot be understated and with both teams to desperate to make it to Sunday's final, there are likely to be some ill-timed tackles and sudden rushes of blood to the head in this fiery matchup.

Brentford's Yoane Wissa is relatively fresh to life as an international footballer, having only made 23 appearances for Congo. That being said, he's left his mark for his nation, especially at this tournament, contributing scoring two goals and providing a pair of goal contributions during the pivotal knockout stages.

In total, Wissa has struck five times in an international shirt, and has also scored 17 times for The Bees in three seasons - four during this current campaign - since switching FC Lorient in Ligue 1 for West London. Clean sheets have been a problem for Ivory Coast, who've managed only one all tournament and zero across their last four fixtures, lending more credit to this selection. Wissa also happens to be on penalty duty, which with the increased spotlight on VAR during this edition and the previous AFCON renewal, makes 24/5 a huge price for him to find the net on Wednesday.