Match: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Fixture: Egypt vs Zimbabwe
Local Kick-off Time: 9:00pm, Monday 22nd December 2025
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Opening Odds
| Category | Item | Corresponding Odds |
|---|---|---|
1X2 | 1 | 1.36 |
| X | 4.5 | |
| 2 | 11 |
Prediction: Egypt wins
Egypt are the record winners in this competition but haven't won this competition since 2010. They couldn't have asked for a better start to this campaign, coming against a side that is among the least favorites to proceed out of the group. Zimbabwe's recent form has been dire, and with goals being scarce from them, it could be an easy game for Egypt.
There's no value in backing an Egypt win, as the odds are very low. Their superiority could be showcased in domination across both halves, and our Egypt vs Zimbabwe prediction is Half-time/Full-time: Egypt/Egypt.
Comprehensive Prediction Analysis:
Egypt
| Date | Competition | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Dec 2025 | International Friendlies | Egypt | 2:1 | Nigeria |
| 9 Dec 2025 | Arab Cup | Egypt | 0:3 | Jordan |
| 7 Dec 2025 | Arab Cup | United Arab Emirates | 1:1 | Egypt |
| 2 Dec 2025 | Arab Cup | Egypt | 1:1 | Kuwait |
| 18 Nov 2025 | International Friendlies | Cape Verde Isl. | 1:1 | Egypt |
| 15 Nov 2025 | International Friendlies | Uzbekistan | 2:0 | Egypt |
Egypt are the seven-time winners of this competition, and they arrived at this tournament after breezing through their qualifiers (W4, D2). There's bound to be apprehension in the Pharaohs' camp, as they haven't won this title since 2017 and were dismissed in the last 16 stage of the previous edition.
With only one win from their last six matches in regular time (D3, L2), Egypt are still finding their feet, especially as they won 2-1 against Nigeria in the final warm-up before this tournament.
Egypt have no injury concerns ahead of their start to the tournament. The only question would be around Mohamed Salah's game time, as the forward has been benched by his Premier League club Liverpool in recent times.
The Pharaohs have fielded an aggressive 4-3-3 formation in their warm-up games but were playing with a single striker in the qualifiers. Either way, it would be Salah leading their charge at the middle of the park.
Zimbabwe
| Date | Competition | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 2025 | International Friendlies | Qatar | 1:2 | Zimbabwe |
| 14 Nov 2025 | International Friendlies | Algeria | 3:1 | Zimbabwe |
| 14 Oct 2025 | World Cup | Lesotho | 1:0 | Zimbabwe |
| 11 Oct 2025 | World Cup | Zimbabwe | 0:0 | South Africa |
| 9 Sep 2025 | World Cup | Zimbabwe | 0:1 | Rwanda |
| 6 Sep 2025 | World Cup | Benin | 1:0 | Zimbabwe |
Zimbabwe defeated Qatar 2-1 for their first win across seven matches (D2, L4), including friends. The Warriors didn't participate in the 2023 edition due to a FIFA-imposed suspension and have had an indifferent pattern in the qualifiers (W2, D3, L1).
There's also a change of guard in the dugout, as Michael Nees has been replaced by Mario Marinica. The new gaffer will look to improve their scoring returns, as Zimbabwe failed to score in four of their last six matches.
Zimbabwe have no fitness concerns ahead of this game but have left out Marshall Munetsi, who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League, from their AFCON squad due to injury concerns. The Warriors will hope they can make the most of a settled squad.
They have lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, morphing it into a 4-1-3-2 system. Zimbabwe haven't shied away from using the more defensive 5-4-1 formation, which could be their method of stopping Egypt.
Final Prediction:
Asian Handicap: Egypt -1/1.5
European Handicap: Egypt wins
Predicted Scores: 2-0, 3-0, 3-1
Predicted Total Goals: 2, 3, 4
This content provides sports news and analysis for fan discussion only. Sports events involve uncertainties; actual results shall prevail.
