SportsgGambler back Valencia as their top scorer pick: "Enner Valencia can be wagered at +210 to be among the goals. The odds that he will be an Anytime Goalscorer look attractive based on the evidence and we'll plump for him to find the net." He is Ecuador's all-time leading scorer with 49 goals and serves as their designated penalty taker — meaning any foul in the box gives him a direct scoring opportunity completely independent of open play.

Oddschecker describes him as Ecuador's "talisman up front." He scored the winning goal against Saudi Arabia on the stroke of half-time in his most recent warm-up. At the 2022 World Cup he scored the opening goal of the entire tournament and netted three times in the group stage. Sports Mole notes the concern clearly: he has 49 of Ecuador's international goals and is "the only player in the squad with a double-figure international tally." If he starts — +250 anytime is the clearest pick on the board.

While listed 8th on ESPN's anytime odds board, Diallo is emphatically Ivory Coast's most prolific scorer with three qualifying goals — more than any other CIV player. SportsgGambler's profile confirms it directly: "Top goalscorer Amad Diallo has found the net 3 times." Oddschecker identifies him as "spearheading a direct and dangerous attack" and as "the key attacking threat in this Ivory Coast side, having scored the winner" in their AFCON run-up.

The reason his price appears longer than the CIV strikers is that he operates from the right wing — making him a slightly more indirect scoring route than a centre-forward. But Diallo's Man Utd profile is precisely a winger who cuts inside to shoot, not a traditional wide player who crosses. He will operate as one of the primary shot-creators and goal threats. At +450 anytime and +1000 first scorer, the pricing undervalues the man who has scored more times for Ivory Coast than anyone else in qualifying.

With Sebastien Haller left out of the squad, the CIV striker role is contested between Evann Guessand (Nice), Ange-Yoan Bonny (Parma) and Elye Wahi. Both Guessand and Bonny are priced identically at +360 anytime and +800 first scorer. SportsgGambler specifically calls Guessand "a reliable goal-scoring option" who "has emerged during the qualifying campaign." The key insight: whoever starts as Ivory Coast's centre-forward is physically the player positioned closest to goal in every CIV attacking sequence. When Diallo creates from the right and Adingra threatens from the left, the CF is the first-choice recipient in the box. At +360 — the same price for both — backing whichever of the two is named in the starting XI is the most direct structural bet on an Ivory Coast goal.

⚠️ Only if confirmed in starting XI. Ecuador's 49-goal all-time top scorer and penalty taker. SportsgGambler back him explicitly. Scored the opening goal of the 2022 World Cup. In a game this tight, the most likely source of any goal is a set piece or penalty — and that goes straight to Valencia from the spot.