SM
Barcelona vs. Brann: 1 hr 14 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
TN
Africa Cup of Nations | Group Stage
Jan 12, 2022 at 1pm UK
 
MN

Tunisia
0 - 1
Mali


Mathlouthi (22'), Skhiri (47')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Kone (48' pen.)
Traore (18'), Djenepo (33')
Bilal Toure (87')

Preview: Tunisia vs. Mali - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Tunisia vs. Mali - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Africa Cup of Nations clash between Tunisia and Mali, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Tunisia and Mali get their quest for continental glory underway on Wednesday when they square off at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium in Group F of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Eagles of Carthage are still licking their wounds following their Arab Cup final defeat at the hands of Algeria back in December and will look to put that behind them as quickly as possible.


Match preview

While Tunisia have struggled for success at the Africa Cup of Nations, claiming the crown just once in their history, they are one of the represented nations at the tournament and will be making a 15th consecutive appearance this year.

Their only triumph came back in 2004 as the host nation when they edged out rivals Morocco 2-1 in the final courtesy of goals from Francileudo Santos and Ziad Jaziri either side of Youssouf Hadji's 38th-minute equaliser.

Tunisia, who are 30th in the latest FIFA world rankings, secured a fourth-placed finish in Egypt back in 2019, when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Senegal in the semi-finals before losing by the same scoreline to Nigeria in the losers' final.

However, the Eagles of Carthage head into Cameroon following one of the most dominant qualifying runs in the history of the tournament, topping Group A with a healthy seven-point lead over runners-up Equatorial Guinea after claiming five wins from six games — the most of all teams in the qualifiers — and scoring the second-most goals with 14.

Led by the experienced manager Mondher Kebaier, Tunisia will now look to quickly move on from Arab Cup disappointment after they made it all the way to the final where they suffered a 2-0 defeat against reigning African champions Algeria back in December.

Like Tunisia, Mali have been a regular face at the prestigious continental tournament in recent years and will be making their eighth consecutive appearance after a superb qualification campaign.

Les Aigles won four games and dropped just five points in the qualifiers to collect 13 points from six outings and finish top of Group A, two points above second-placed Guinea.

Mohamed Magassouba's men have been in sensational form since then, picking up five wins and one draw from six competitive games to secure safe passage into the playoffs of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Off the back of a round-of-16 exit in the last edition three years ago, when they lost 1-0 to Ivory Coast courtesy of Wilfried Zaha's second-half strike, the West African nation will hope they can translate their current form into a fine run in Cameroon as they look to improve on their 2019 finish.

Mali take on Gambia in their next outing, before wrapping things up in the group stages with a clash against Northwest African side Mauritania on January 20, and three points on Wednesday will undoubtedly set the pace for things to come.

Tunisia form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L

Mali form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L


Team News

Tunisia head into the tournament with an experienced 28-man squad, including Saint-Etienne forward Wahbi Khazri, who is second on the nation's all-time appearance chart with 22 goals in 65 games.

Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbr, who boasts nine appearances in national team colours, has also earned a place in the squad and we expect the 21-year-old to push for a starting role at the centre of the park.

There are two new faces in the Tunisia squad with the duo of Bechir Ben Said and Ali Jemal receiving their debut call-ups after an impressive spell in the domestic league.

Meanwhile, the Malians boast a fine crop of midfield talent as they head into the tournament with the likes of Moussa Djenepo, Yves Bissouma and Amadou Haidara.

The RB Leipzig man recently returned from an injury lay-off and should start in the midfield trio, with 22-year-old Ibrahima Kone spearheading the attack.

Kone has netted eight goals in six games for Mali since making his debut back in 2017 and will be one to keep an eye out for in this tournament.

Tunisia possible starting lineup:
Mustapha; Drager, Talbi, Bronn, Maaloul; Slimane, Skhiri; Sliti, Mejbri, Jaziri; Khazri

Mali possible starting lineup:
Mounkoro; Sacko, Kouyate, Sissako, C Traore; Haidara, Bissouma; Coulibaly, A Traore, Djenepo; Kone


We say: Tunisia 2-1 Mali

Tunisia and Mali head into Wednesday's game as two of the most in-form nations at the tournament and this makes for an exciting and riveting watch. While we expect Magassouba's men to put up a valiant fight, we are tipping the The Eagles of Carthage to snatch an opening-day win.







body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__474957 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2022-01-11 11:49:30:
html db last update - 2022-01-10 20:02:09 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Rangnick 'identifies Haidara as Matic replacement'
Pochettino calls for "calm" over Sterling situation at Chelsea
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

How Chelsea could line up against Burnley

1

HC

Chelsea face five fresh fitness concerns ahead of Burnley game

2

CF

Sandro Tonali charged with fresh betting breaches after Newcastle move

NEW

3

ST

Preview: Nott'm Forest vs. Crystal Palace - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PN

Preview: Chelsea vs. Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PC

Man Utd 'add Colombia international to defensive shortlist'

6

MU

Man Utd 'angered by midfielder's loan situation'

7

MU

Man Utd 'set low asking price for out-of-favour midfielder'

8

MU

Preview: Brentford vs. Man Utd - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PB

How Man United could line up against Brentford

10

HM


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .