On Wednesday, Mali and Equatorial Guinea will compete for a berth in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals, with a kickoff at 10 pm.
Mali, who finished atop Group F, earned a spot in the knockout rounds, joining Ghana and Egypt in moving on from their respective groups. The Malians put up seven points in the group, including Mauritania, Gambia, and Tunisia.
The second-placed team of Group E, Equatorial Guinea, was one of the surprise packages of the first stage. This was even though they had been paired with continental heavyweights Algeria and Ivory Coast in their group.
Nzalang Nacional earned a 1-0 victory over Sierra Leona on matchday three to finish top of Group A and advance to the knockout round. Pablo Ganet scored the game’s only goal in the 38th minute.
The winner of this tie will play in the quarterfinal versus either Senegal or Cape Verde.
In their four previous encounters, Mali has triumphed over Equatorial Guinea. Should they win by any scoreline in their fifth fixture this Saturday, the Eagles will qualify for the quarterfinals of the AFCON for the seventh time and first time since 2013.
The two nations were drawn together in Group C of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the west Africans securing a 1-0 victory on aggregate.
Mali vs. Equatorial Guinea Head to Head
Both sides have four games against each other with hosts taking 3 wins while opponents are winless. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Mali 2-0 Mauritania
- Gambia 1-1 Mali
- Tunisia 0-1 Mali
- Malawi 2-0 Mali
- Mali 1-0 Uganda
Away
- Sierra Leone 0-1 E. Guinea
- Algeria 0-1 E. Guinea
- Guinea 0-1 Ivory Coast
- Mauritania 1-1 E. Guinea
- Guinea 1-0 Tunisia
Mali Team News
Coach Mohamed Magassouba has no injury concerns nor any suspensions to consider.
Equatorial Guinea Team News
There are also no known injuries to any Central African players or concerns about their suspensions.
Prediction and Odds
Team Mali is the more traditional team, and they are expected to excel over Equatorial Guinea.
Team Mali is also better-equipped than Equatorial Guinea’s Eagles, who have never faced this opponent before in a World Cup match.
- Mali Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- Correct Score: 1-0
