Mali is set to clash with South Africa at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in the inaugural match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Having been a consistent presence in recent editions, the Eagles have featured in 10 of the last 11 tournaments. In their previous encounter, they convincingly defeated Guinea-Bissau with a commanding 6-2 victory. Notably, six different players, including Salernitana’s Lassana Coulibaly, found the back of the net, marking a special moment as Coulibaly scored his first-ever international goal.
Mali boasts an impressive record in AFCON group openers, remaining undefeated in their last seven outings. As they gear up for Tuesday’s match, they aim to extend this successful streak.
South Africa, making a return to the continental showpiece after missing out on the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, recently engaged in a goalless friendly against Lesotho at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Hugo Broos’ squad seeks redemption following their 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in the 2019 tournament opener and hopes for better fortune in the upcoming competition.
Mali vs South Africa Head To Head
Mali and South Africa have a fairly even head-to-head record:
Overall:
- Games played: 5
- Mali wins: 2
- South Africa wins: 2
- Draws: 1
Most recent results:
- October 13, 2019: South Africa 2-1 Mali (Friendly)
- January 15, 2014: South Africa 1-1 Mali (Africa Cup of Nations)
- February 2, 2013: South Africa 1-1 Mali (Friendly)
Current form:
- Mali: Won their last 3 matches with impressive goal margins.
- South Africa: Winless in their last two matches with struggles to score.
Prediction
This is going to be a tough match. Mali has very good players, most of them playing in Europe, South Africa on the other hand has a team made up of young and talented players. We have the feeling that Mali has the advantage here and for this reason we are predicting a win for Mali or a Draw.
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