Two teams very much in contention for a place in next year's Africa Cup of Nations face off at Stade de la Reunification on Saturday as Central African Republic await the visit of Angola.

The hosts head into this one aiming to record a third consecutive win, while the away side go in search of a first victory since the turn of the year.

Match preview

Angola were made to rue several missed opportunities in a 1-1 stalemate against the Black Stars of Ghana when the teams locked horns at Estadio de 11 Novembro on March 27.

Pedro Goncalves's men took the lead in the early stages of the second period through Lucas Joao's penalty before conceding a 72nd-minute equaliser to Osman Bukari.

Consequently, the Black Antelopes have dropped to third in Group E of the AFCON qualifiers, albeit only just two points behind second place.

Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit who suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat in the most recent edition of this fixture back in June 2022.

Having failed to win any of their last three away outings, Saturday's visitors will need to up the ante on enemy territory as they enter the last chance saloon to keep their continental dream alive.

Central African Republic exhibited their superiority over Madagascar in the sides' encounter on March 27, which ended in a routine 2-0 victory.

Louis Mafouta broke the deadlock five minutes shy of half time to give Raoul Savoy's men the lead after which Mafouta added a second late on to put the result beyond doubt.

With seven points amassed from four qualifying matches, Les Fauves sit second in Group E, one point behind Ghana and two clear of Angola heading into the penultimate matchday.

Unbeaten in their last four home matches including back to back wins ahead of Saturday's contest, the hosts will back themselves to secure another positive result in front of their fans.

Team News

Lucas Joao opened his Angola account at only the third time of asking last time out, and the forward will be looking to deliver the goods once again.

Bruno Paz is unavailable for the away side through a slight knock which saw him miss Konyaspor's season finale against Besiktas last Wednesday.

Geoffrey Kondogbia was previously an injury scare for Central African Republic, but the 30-year-old has since been passed fit to feature this weekend.

Louis Mafouta's two goals against Madagascar moved him joint-top of his nation's all-time scoring chart, and he will now seek to own the record outrightly with another strike here.

Central African Republic possible starting lineup:
Youfeigane; Yangao, Mboumbouni, Guinari, Kevin; Kondogbia, Nicanor; Pirioua, Nlend, Ngoma; Mafouta

Angola possible starting lineup:
Cipriano; Carneiro, Buatu, Gaspar, Ndefe; Show, Fredy; Papel, Gelson, Costa, Megue

We say: Central African Republic 1-1 Angola

With so much to play for here, we expect both teams to be fully up for the encounter, giving rise to an enthralling affair. We can also see the spoils being shared come the sound of the final whistle.


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