Senegal vs Cameroon Prediction and Betting Tips: Back goals in Friday evening's group match

Live on Sky Sports Main Event at 5pm BST Friday evening, tournament second favourites Senegal meet Cameroon in an enthralling AFCON tie.

Les Lions cruised to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Gambia on matchday 1, fortifying their position high up in the outright market to claim AFCON glory in the Ivory Coast this year. Cameroon were forced to settle for a point in their opener with Guinea despite finding themselves pegged back by a goal inside 10 minutes and facing 10 men for 45 minutes.

In the second wave of fixtures, Senegal are even money at BetMGM to win the match despite being odds-on favourites with many firms. Having drawn their last three games, the Indomitable Lions are priced at 19/10 to earn a fourth consecutive draw and the far more larger 19/5 to claim all the spoils.

The 2021 AFCON tournament was bereft of goals, but there have already been early signs that this year's tournament will not follow in the same footsteps. Although only five of the 13 matches at the time of writing have met this line of over 2.5, 33 goals have been netted across the first round of fixtures and bleeding into Equatorial Guinea's 4-2 win over Guinea-Bissau.

Senegal's opening victory cleared this line, while Cameroon's draw saw two goals scored. The away side's last three AFCON qualifiers all ended with three or more goals scored, with two of Aliou Cisse and co's matches ending in a winner for this selection.

These two are ranked #20 and #46 in the FIFA world rankings, meaning we could well get a competitive match with a few goals for added measure given the quality on show for both teams.

AFCON tends to be a haven for card backers, but going more granular with our second bet sees us tipping there to be a penalty awarded in this match. Three penalties have been taken and scored since the competition started on 13th January, with Mohamed Salah, Mabululu and Bertrand Traore the men to convert from the spot.

After drawing their opener, this is a can't-lose match for Cameroon, and recent head-to-head meetings insinuate that this could be closer than the odds suggest. That could mean we get a feisty affair between the two West African teams, especially when judging by their recent foul numbers. Senegal's AFCON opener saw 31 fouls committed, with a further 28 issued in the first match for Friday's away team.

Referee Diana Chikotesha takes charge of this clash - her second involvement at the tournament so far. The 35-year-old Zambian was on VAR duty in Burkina Faso's opener against Mauritania and played a hand in awarding the penalty that saw The Stallions secure all three points. She has a big responsibility to manage this meeting, so don't be surprised to see her make some big calls in a game that the continent will be eagerly watching.