AFCON Preview: Tunisia v Mali

by Thando Mpembe

Friday Jan 19, 2024. 14:00

Date: 20 January 2024

Kick-off: 22h00 (CAT)

Head-to-head: In the last five meetings between the two nations in all competitions, Tunisia bagged two victories while Mali have one win to their name with two stalemates recorded along the way.

Tunisia and Mali have met three times in the group stages of the AFCON with Mali claiming two wins and no losses. The Eagles’ most recent win over Tunisia at AFCON came in the form of a 1-0 result at the 2021 edition of the showpiece.

The Carthage Eagles were unbeaten in four matches in all competitions prior to their surprise 1-0 defeat against Namibia in their Group E AFCON opener.  As one of the most in form teams on the continent at the moment, Mali’s 2-0 win over South Africa earlier this week saw the Eagles extend their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions.

Team news: It’s been reported that Tunisia star Taha Yassine Khenissi will miss the remainder of the competition, after suffering an injury during their game against Namibia. As for Mali, Moussa Diarra and Yves Bissouma are said to be recovering from an unknown illness and are expected to miss the upcoming fixture.

Key players, Tunisia: Youssef Msakni – Despite Tunisia’s below par performance against the Brave Warriors, Msakni was the Carthage Eagles’ main attacking threat going forward. The 33-year-old will once again hope to emulate his performances going into the next tie, with the view of putting the ball into the back of the net.

Key players, Mali: Hamari Traore – The right-back was a star turner in Mali’s victory against South Africa earlier this week, especially after getting his name on the scoresheet. Traore’s willingness to trot up the pitch could hurt the Tunisians, given their favoured tactic of committing players forward in wide positions.