Gabon, Mali aim to book Afcon ticket

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Nov 14, 2018. 16:00

Gabon and Mali will be aiming to take a step towards 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification when they lock horns at the Stade d'Angondjé in Libreville on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 17h00 CAT.

The Eagles of Mali currently top Group C after four rounds of fixtures with eight points, having registered two wins and two draws from their allotted matches.

Victory for the visitors will book their place at next year's showpiece in Cameroon, no matter the result in Juba between South Sudan and Burundi.

Gabon can also secure a ticket to a third successive Afcon tournament with victory this weekend and the Panthers will be confident of grabbing all three points following the return of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Arsenal striker, who has been in superb form for the Gunners this season, scooped the English Premier League Player of the Month accolade for October.

Aubameyang returns after missing his country's qualifier away to South Sudan having opted out of the clash, a few days after helping his country to victory over the same opponents in the home tie.

Mali will be without Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma due to paperwork problems, head coach Mohammed Magassouba has revealed.

"At the airport, Yves lost his residence card," Magassouba told a news conference in Bamako.

"When you lose such a document, you may need to bring together lawyers to find another one because you have to recognise that Europe is different from here."

The reverse fixture in the Malian capital last year ended in a 2-1 win for Mali, with Bissouma getting his name on the scoresheet.