Mali square off against Israel in their opening group-stage match of the Men's Olympic Football Tournament at the Paris 2024 Games on Wednesday evening.
Both nations get their campaigns under way at the Parc des Princes and are competing to advance from Group D, which also includes Japan and Paraguay.
Match preview
The 2024 Paris Olympics will represent just the second time that Mali have taken part in the Men's Football Tournament and the first since they reached the quarter-finals at Athens 2004.
Two decades on, Les Aigles Espoirs have qualified for this year's tournament after reaching the semi-finals and winning the third-placed playoff at the 2023 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Guinea 4-3 on penalties.
Alou Badra Diallo has been in charge of Mali's youth team for the past two years and having previously guided AS Otoho to the Congolese top-flight title in 2021-22, the 54-year-old is now targeting success on the international stage.
Mali's current crop of youngsters offers a decent mix of ingenuity and ruthlessness to compete in Paris and Badra Diallo has insisted that he 'has faith in this generation of players' who are "capable of achieving great things".
Les Aigles Espoirs have taken part in three friendlies this month in preparation for the Paris Games, with 2-0 and 1-0 victories over the Mali Under-20s team followed by a 3-0 win over French fourth-tier outfit Football Club 93 Bobigny last Friday.
Israel, meanwhile, are gearing up for their third appearance at the Olympic Games and their first since Montreal 1976 when they reached the quarter-finals, as they did at Mexico City 1968.
The Sky Blue and Whites have qualified for the Paris Games after reaching to the semi-finals of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, finishing second in their group and beating Georgia on penalties in the quarter-finals before losing 3-0 to eventual winners England in the last four.
Former Charlton Athletic and Maccabi Petah Tikva boss Guy Luzon is enjoying his second spell in charge of the Israeli youth team and the 48-year-old is aiming to turn his side into "one which can be real contenders, rather than just another team that have qualified."
Israel have flattered to deceive over the last 12 months, though, losing six games in a row across all competitions before claiming a much-needed 2-0 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva in a warm-up fixture last Thursday.
At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions regarding the Israel-Hamas war, Israel are free to complete at the Paris Games, but Israeli athletes will receive 24-hour protection following controversial comments made by French MP Thomas Portes, who said the country is 'not welcome' in Paris, and due to the threat of protests from pro-Palestinians.
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Team News
The standout name in Mali's 18-man squad is Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Boubacar Traore , who could be joined in the middle of the pitch by Bordeaux's Issouf Sissokho, while Brahima Diarra - now a free agent after leaving Huddersfield Town - is also pushing to start in midfield.
Mahamadou Diarra and Rennes youngster Wilson Samake have only earned five international caps between them, but they could form a strike partnership in attack for Badra Diallo's side.
As for Israel, they have been dealt a major injury blow, as first-choice goalkeeper and captain Daniel Peretz has been ruled out of the Olympics after sustaining a partial tear in his quadriceps muscle; Niv Eliasi is expected to fill the void between the sticks.
The Sky Blue and Whites have, however, have received a boost in the attacking department as Tottenham Hotspur winger Manor Solomon was fit to play for 45 minutes in last week's friendly - his first outing in almost 10 months after recovering from a serious knee injury.
Solomon, 24, could therefore be in contention to feature in the starting lineup on Wednesday along with Charlotte FC star Liel Abada and Red Bull Salzburg's Oscar Gloukh.
Mali Under-23s possible starting lineup:
L. Diarra; Doucoure, Cisse, Soumaoro, Soumare; Sissoko, Traore, B. Diarra; Sangare; Diakite, Samake
Israel Under-23s possible starting lineup:
Eliasi; Feingold, Goldberg, Lemkin, Revivo; Gandelman, Azoulay; Abada, Gloukh, Solomon; Turgeman
We say: Mali Under-23s 2-1 Israel Under-23s
There is little to separate these two teams who enter Wednesday's contest in buoyant mood after winning their final warm-up matches, but we believe that Mali may just have the edge and should do enough to claim a slender victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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