In form Mali will be taking on an underperforming South Africa at Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium, in their group E encounter in the AFCON on Tuesday night. Mali are going into this match as favorites boasting a very solid and experienced team, it’s also their 13th appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.
South Africa have only managed one win in their last five games, where as Mali are on a seven game unbeaten run. In fact, Les Aigles have won six of those games and have drawn just once.
Mali will be high on confidence after a performance of the highest quality in their last warm-up friendly. They cruised to a 6-2 victory over Guinea-Bissau just weekends ago. The last time these two sides met was in an international friendly back in 2019 and South Africa won that match 2-1. Furman and Zwane getting the goals for Bafana Bafana and Koïta with the consolation for Mali in the second half.
Head-to-Head (Since 2010)
Mali: 1 Win
South Africa: 2 Wins
Draws: 1 Draw
FORM (Last Five Games)
Mali: W D W W W
South Africa: D L W D D
Players to Watch
Yves Bissouma (Mali) – The 27 year old midfielder has had a fine campaign in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur. His style is much more suited to the attacking mindset of Ange Postecoglou, however he will be hoping to take that momentum into the AFCON starting with this match.
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Percy Tau (South Africa) – The 29 year-old midfielder, who now plays for Egyptian outfit Al-Ahly, has scored 15 international goals and is currently the most experienced player in the Bafana Bafana team. He has made 42 appearances since his debut back in October 2015.
BETTING TIP: Mali to win and 2 to 5 goals scored in the match
ODDS: 2.95
