Showdown in Kinshasa
On 30 October 1974, the legendary Rumble in the Jungle took place in Kinshasa, the capital of the then Zaire. Muhamad Ali and George Forman fought for the heavyweight boxing crown. On Sunday, another important sporting event will take place in Kinshasa, when DR Congo and Benin will clash in a fight for the group victory in the African World Cup qualifier.
Of course, this football match hardly gets the media hype that boxing did back in the day, but it would be extremely important for a new generation in the DRC to finally make positive sporting headlines again when it comes to a showdown at the Stade de Martyrs de la Pentecote.
Tanzania and Madagascar have already been knocked off before this final matchday. The squirrels from Benin are at the top of the standings with ten points, followed by DR Congo with eight. It doesn’t take a genius to understand the starting position.
If Benin manage to earn a draw or even an away win, Michel Dussuyer’s side will punch their ticket to the African play-offs and can continue to dream of taking the big step onto the world football stage for the first time in 2022. However, we reckon that betting on a home win in the DR Congo vs Benin match is more likely to be successful.
DR Congo – Statistics & current form
The Democratic Republic of Congo team was the big favourite ahead of these group games. However, Hector Cuper’s team dropped unnecessary points in two draws and especially in the home defeat against Madagascar. It seems the Leopards have woken up just in time, as they have everything in their own hands on Sunday.
Woke up just in time
A win against Benin is needed to qualify for the final play-offs. DR Congo have lost only one of their last six international matches. Therefore, between DR Congo and Benin, the odds would not favour a home defeat. However, a draw won’t be enough for the Leopards either.
But if they play like they did on Thursday when they visited Tanzania, then nothing should stand in the way of a win. The Congolese were clearly determined to make the play-offs and gave the Taifa Stars no chance. In the end, they won 3-0 away from home against a team that still had a chance of winning the group.
Gael Kakuta, Idumba Fasika and Ben Malango scored the goals. It is clear that Hector Cuper is putting more and more trust in some fresh players. Yannick Bolasie was on the bench for over an hour and Fabrice N’Sakala did not play at all. Marcel Tisserand had to pull out at short notice due to injury.
Predicted line-up of DR Congo:
Kiassumbua – Mbemba, Luyindama, Ngonda, Amale, Idumba, Kakuta, Akolo, Binda, Mbokani, Bakambu – Coach: Cuper
Last matches played by DR Congo:
CAF World Cup Qualifiers – 2nd Round – Grp. J
11/11 2021 – Tanzania 0 – 3 DR Congo
10/10 2021 – Madagascar 1 – 0 DR Congo
10/07 2021 – DR Congo 2 – 0 Madagascar
09/06 2021 – Benin 1 – 1 DR Congo
09/02 2021 – DR Congo 1 – 1 Tanzania
Benin – Statistics & current form
The fact that the Benin team is no lightweight in African football at the moment should have been known in the run-up to this group stage. After all, the squirrels reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup two years ago and were among the best eight teams on the continent. So making it into the top ten teams in the World Cup qualifiers does not sound unrealistic.
Sensation of the squirrels?
However, the Benin team has made a mess of qualifying for next year’s Africa Cup. Against this background, a successful World Cup qualification would already be a sensation. That’s why we won’t be tempted to make any predictions about the squirrels’ participation in the World Cup ahead of the important match between DR Congo and Benin – although Benin have only lost one of their last five international matches.
On Thursday, however, Michel Dussuyer’s team did not show any weakness. There was an important 2-0 win at home against Madagascar. Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie were the goal scorers. The latter is at least a familiar name. In the French Ligue 1, he proves his qualities with Stade Brest.
Otherwise, Michel Dussuyer has assembled a team of no-name players, unless you are an expert on the French second division. From Germany we still know Mickael Pote, who was under contract with Dynamo Dresden for three years before undertaking an odyssey through Cyprus and Turkey.
Predicted Benin line-up:
Allagbe – Adenon, Kiki, Verdon, Adeoti, Dossou, D’Almeida, Doremus, Ahlinvi, Mounie, Gomez – Coach: Dussuyer
Last matches played by Benin:
World Cup Qualifier CAF – 2nd Round – Grp. J
11/11 2021 – Benin 2 – 0 Madagascar
10/10 2021 – Benin 0 – 1 Tanzania
10/07 2021 – Tanzania 0 – 1 Benin
09/06 2021 – Benin 1 – 1 DR Congo
09/02 2021 – Madagascar 0 – 1 Benin
DR Congo – Benin Direct comparison / H2H balance
In fact, the teams from DR Congo and Benin have only faced each other twice on a football pitch. In 1981, there was once a test match between these two nations. The first competitive match was the first leg in the current World Cup qualifiers in September. In the capital of Benin, the two rivals parted with a 1-1 draw.
Dieumerci Mbokani gave the Congolese Lions a 1-0 lead after just eleven minutes, but before half-time Jordan Adeoti equalised with a header to make it 1-1. The Squirrels thus continue to wait for a win against the Leopards.
DR Congo – Benin Tip
DR Congo were favoured ahead of this group stage and we think the Leopards will live up to that role after all, albeit on the final matchday. Based purely on the quality of the two teams, a home win should be in the cards, even if both teams are in similar form, at least according to the results.
We think that on Sunday, home advantage can also be the deciding factor, because in Kinshasa, people are hungry to see the Leopards win, and we think that Hector Cuper will serve the supporters. In our opinion, you are more likely to be successful in the duel DR Congo vs Benin with a tip on a home win.
