Among the two sides, Mali have a super ranking with 52, while their visitors are at the 98th spot in the FIFA rankings.
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Mali will square off against Congo on Saturday in their hopes of securing a ticket to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The two sides will clash against each other at the Stade du 26 Mars in Group G of the qualifiers. Among the two sides, Mali have a super ranking with 52, while their visitors are at the 98th spot in the FIFA rankings. Hence, it goes without saying that Mali, who are playing at home, will be the clear favourites in the Saturday night clash.
Back in March, Mali’s hopes of reaching the World Cup ended in disappointing fashion after they suffered a 1-0 aggregate defeat against Tunisia in the qualification playoffs. The narrow loss in the two-legged tie was a big blow to the country. Even at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, they couldn’t go further in the competition after losing on penalties to Central African side Equatorial Guinea.
Mali’s recent run of form has not been impressive either, as they have not won any of their last three games, which is something they would like to correct it pretty soon. On the other hand, Congo’s form have also not been great. They lost both their friendlies this year and had a forgettable World Cup qualifiers when they could only manage three draws and three defeats in six games. Hence, Mali will be the overwhelming favourite for Saturday’s clash.
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After the match against Congo, Mali will be taking on South Sudan. For these games, they have called up their full strength squad, with quite a few of those players plying their trade in the European leagues. Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma and Southampton forward Moussa Djenepo are joined by Leipzig’s Amadou Haidara and Salzburg’s Mohamed Camara.
On the other hand, Congo have suffered a massive injury blow with experienced defender Marvin Baudry picking up a muscle problem. Hence, it is one of Rozan Varel, Fred Dembi or Julfin Ondongo who might fill the vacant spot in the starting line-up. The front line is set to be headed by Guy Mbenza following his recent exploits with his domestic side.
Mali possible starting line-up: Mounkoro, H Traore, Kouyate, Fofana, M Haidara, Samassekou; A Traore, Bissouma, A Haidara, Djenepo, Diaby
Congo possible line-up: Mafoumbi, Varel, Dembi, Mafoumbi, Rozan, Avounou, Bifouma, Makouta, Mboungou, Makounana, Mbenza
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group G qualification match between Mali and Congo will take place at the Stade du 26 Mars and it will kick off at 12:30 am IST on Sunday.
A selection of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be telecast live on beIN SPORTS.
