Equatorial Guinea and Togo will face off at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo on Monday in the second round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Both sides will head into their sixth head-to-head meeting looking to pick up their first win of the qualifiers.
Match preview
Despite holding on for over an hour, Equatorial Guinea eventually succumbed to pressure, conceding two goals in the last 20 minutes of the game to lose 2-0 against Algeria in round one of the AFCON qualifiers last Thursday.
Juan Micha's men saw their poor form on the road extend, having failed to win any of their last six away matches, which includes four losses and two draws.
After exiting the 2023 AFCON in the round of 16, the Nzalang Nacional will hope to quickly bounce back from this defeat as they look to make it to three straight editions for the first time in history.
The next hurdle is against Togo on home soil - a side that they have beaten just once in six attempts, while losing twice and drawing two (which is the most recent two).
The Nzalang Nacional have hosted Monday's opposition twice before – one in an international friendly and the other in a World Cup qualifying match – and one won while they lost the other.
Togo will enter this match with a "what if" feeling, having failed to secure a victory against Liberia on home soil last Friday despite leading the game until stoppage time.
Twenty-three-year-old Cercle Brugge forward Kevin Denkey put the Sparrow Hawks ahead in the 79th minute, but a 92nd-minute strike from Liberia's Willie Gibson ensured the game ended 1-1.
Dare Nibombe's men have now failed to win any of their last four matches, including a 1-1 draw in a friendly game with Libya, a 1-1 draw with South Sudan, and a 1-0 defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup qualifiers.
The top two teams in each group at the end of the AFCON qualifiers will earn a place in Morocco next year - and given Algeria's pedigree and quality, it could be a direct battle for the other spot between Togo and their host Equatorial Guinea.
Togo's last AFCON appearance came in Gabon back in 2017, when they finished bottom of Group C with one point from a possible nine, playing out a goalless draw with Ivory Coast in the opening game before suffering back-to-back defeats against Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Team News
Iban Salvador found the net in Equatorial Guinea's most recent home game against Malawi, and he will be the one to watch again.
Twenty-one-year-old Moreirense striker Luis Nlavo ended his five-year international drought against Cambodia in March, but he has failed to score in the last four matches, which could prompt Micha to replace him with Josete Miranda in attack.
Denkey is expected to keep his place in attack alongside his experienced strike partner Fo-Doh Kodjo Laba, who is second in the nation's all-time scoring chart with 19 goals in 51 caps.
In defence, the back four of Dakonam Djene, Kennedy Kofi Boateng, Josue Homawoo, and Khaled Narey will likely remain unchanged from the last game.
Equatorial Guinea possible starting lineup:
Owono; Ndong, Coco, Fernandez, Senra; Mascarell; Buyla, Ganet, Obiang, Salvador; Nlavo
Togo possible starting lineup:
Agbolossou; Djene, Boateng, Homawoo, Narey; Dername, Aholou, Aziangbe, Agbagno; Denkey, Laba
We say: Equatorial Guinea 1-1 Togo
Equatorial Guinea have won only one of their last four matches across all competitions, highlighting their ongoing struggles since the AFCON.
Given Togo's historical dominance in this fixture and their previous away win against the hosts, we believe they are capable of securing a draw in this match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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