Preview : Mali vs Equatorial Guinea - Live streaming, lineups & Prediction

Mali vs Equatorial Guinea

SCHEDULE	TIME
GAME	Mali vs Equatorial Guinea
DATE	26.01.2022
TIME	14:00 PM (UTC)
VENUE	Limbe Stadium (Limbe)
LEAGUE	Africa Cup of Nations - Play Offs - 1/8-finals

TV Channel Info

More Information

Streaming starts 5 minutes before kick off

Match Preview

Preview : Mali vs Equatorial Guinea

◉ A spot in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter finals is up for grabs when Group F winners Mali take on surprise Group E runners-up Equatorial Guinea. A draw sandwiched between two victories meant Mali navigated their group without troubles, and extended their undefeated run to nine matches (W7, D2).

◉ Mali curiously scored exactly one second-half goal in all three group games, en-route to their second successive appearance in the Round of 16. ‘Les Aigles’ will now hope to replicate or better their squads that took part in AFCON tournaments between 2002-2013, where they finished third or fourth in four of six editions.

◉ A pair of 1-0 wins for Mali was the result when they faced Equatorial Guinea in AFCON 2017 qualifying, again relying on second-half strikes to get the job done. And it was 1-0 scorelines that underdogs Equatorial Guinea also witnessed in five of their last eight fixtures (W5, D2, L1), including all three of their AFCON group games (W2, L1).

◉ Equatorial Guinea’s only two prior qualifications for Africa’s showpiece tournament saw them reach the knockouts in 2012 – when they were knocked out in the quarter finals – and 2015, which saw them lose the third-place playoff.

◉ Despite having a population over 14 times smaller than their opponents Mali, FIFA’s 114th-placed nation have the recent form to cause upsets, but with at least seven total cards seen in each of Equatorial Guinea’s last two matches, repeating their recent wins over the likes of Algeria (FIFA: #29) and Tunisia (#30) will likely require cool heads.

◉ Players to watch: A goal scorer in each group game, Mali’s Ibrahima Koné has scored eight goals and contributed one assist in his last six internationals, while Equatorial Guinea’s Óscar Siafá has scored all four of his goals this season in the first half of play.

◉ Hot stat: None of Mali’s last 38 matches have been won by the team conceding first.

Mali possible lineup:
Mounkoro; Haidara, Kouyate, Sacko, Traore; Haidara, Camara, Bissouma; Djenepo, Traore, Kone

Equatorial Guinea starting lineup:
Mbara; Akapo, Coco, Orozco, Ndong; Salvador, Ganet, Machin, Buyla; Siafa, Nsue

Prediction

Mali 2-1 Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea have enjoyed a stellar campaign so far, causing a few upsets and making it all the way to the knockout stages. However, the Malians boast a superior and experienced squad and we are tipping them to come away with the win.