Mali eye winning start against Israel

by Graeme Jackson

Tuesday Jul 23, 2024. 16:00

Mali will tussle it out with Israel in the opening match at the Paris 2024 Olympics match on Wednesday, 24 July.

Kick-off is at 18h00 CAT.

The Group D encounter is scheduled to be played at the iconic Parc des Princes in the capital and largest city of France, Paris.

Mali wrapped up their preparations for the Olympics with a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan in a friendly match played on 10 June.

Therefore, the Young Eagles are undefeated in their last four matches across all competitions having recorded three victories and one draw.

Midfielder Boubacar Traoré – who plies his trade in the English Premier League for Wolverhampton Wanderers – is the player to watch out for in the Mali team.

Meanwhile, Israel have been inactive since they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Germany in the 2025 UEFA Under 21 Euro qualifiers in March 2024.

As a result, the Young Chosen Team are winless in their last six matches across all competitions having recorded six consecutive defeats.

One of Israel’s key players is Oscar Gloukh who plies his trade in the Austrian Bundesliga for RB Salzburg and the attacking midfielder will be keen to shine against Mali.

In Head-to-Head stats, it will be the first-ever meeting between Mali and Israel at this level (under-23).

Referee Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh from New Zealand will be in charge of the match.