Sports Mole previews Friday's Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying conflict between Senegal and Malawi, together with predictions, workforce information and potential lineups.
Round three of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will play out this week, and in Group L, we'll see Senegal going through off towards Malawi in the first match of a double-header in Diamniadio on Friday evening.
The hosts are in second place in the group standings, unbeaten with 4 factors after the first two matches, whereas the guests are backside of the desk and nonetheless looking for their first level of the competitors.
Match preview
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African giants Senegal have made a constructive begin to their 2025 AFCON qualification marketing campaign, presently tied on 4 factors with group leaders Burkina Faso, who they performed out a 1-1 draw towards in the opening spherical.
While the Lions of Teranga would probably have been pretty dissatisfied with that end result having led the match till stoppage time, they made no mistake in spherical two, seeing out their one-purpose lead towards a plucky Burundi on the street.
With these outcomes, the 2021-22 winners of this competitors have now gone six matches with out defeat, together with 4 wins and two attracts, courting again to their AFCON exit towards the Ivory Coast earlier this yr.
However, the aspect has skilled the finish of an period in the final week, with the Senegal Football Federation saying the finish of Aliou Cisse‘s tenure with the workforce after 9 years, citing that the former nationwide workforce captain did not fulfil their targets, which included profitable the 2023 AFCON and reaching the quarter-closing of the 2022 World Cup.
As a end result, the Lions of Teranga will head into this month's qualifiers with out a everlasting coach at the helm, although Cisse's former assistant Pape Thiaw will tackle the obligations on an interim foundation till the subsequent supervisor is confirmed.
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Meanwhile, Malawi are searching for to achieve the principal draw of the AFCON for under the fourth time of their historical past, however based mostly on their latest file, it appears unlikely they'll have the ability to handle to make the reduce until they're able to win the the rest of their group-stage matches.
The Flames suffered again-to-again defeats in the first two rounds of this competitors, shedding their opening match 3-2 to Burundi earlier than proving no match for Burkina Faso, who ran out 3-1 winners on matchday two.
Patrick Mabedi‘s aspect are actually on a 3-match shedding streak and have misplaced six of their final seven, with a victory over Sao Tome e Principe being the solely constructive consequence they've managed in the final 12 months.
Owing to their poor type, Malawi have additionally seen their FIFA rating plummet by an enormous seven locations in the final month, now placing them 133rd in the world and thirty ninth amongst 53 CAF representatives.
These two sides have solely met thrice in the previous and Malawi have by no means bested Senegal in that point, shedding twice and drawing their most up-to-date encounter goalless again in January 2022.
Senegal Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying type:
Senegal type (all competitions):
Malawi Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying type:
Malawi type (all competitions):
Team News
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After a lot uncertainty, the Senegalese Football Federation lastly introduced final week that Galatasaray defender Ismail Jakobs has been cleared to hitch the workforce for the double-header towards Malawi.
Jakobs will add to an already star-studded lineup, which incorporates the likes of Edouard Mendy, Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson, Kalidou Koulibaly and Moussa Niakhate, all of whom are anticipated to function over the subsequent week.
Malawi, not like most different nations collaborating in these qualifiers, has introduced a squad of simply 20 gamers, the majority of whom additionally featured in the first two rounds towards Burkina Faso and Burundi.
One participant who has acquired a name-up, although, is Nyasa Big Bullets midfielder Lloyd Aaron, who is about to return to the nationwide workforce lineup for the first time since making a cameo look for the Flames towards Mozambique in June 2023.
Senegal potential beginning lineup:
E Mendy; F Mendy, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Jakobs; Sarr, Camara, Ndiaye, Gueye, Mane; Jackson
Malawi potential beginning lineup:
Chikooka; Sanudi, Mwase, Chembezi, Chirwa; Chester, Idana, Aaron, Nkhoma; Kaonga, Mphasi
We say: Senegal 2-1 Malawi
While Malawi put up respectable performances, scoring in each earlier matches on this competitors, they now face a serious step up at school of opponents, and we really feel they are going to be unable to include the star-studded Lions of Teranga on this one.
For knowledge evaluation of the more than likely outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click on right here.
