Prediction: Tunisia vs Libya

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Betfair

Tunisia and Lybia are set to face each other at the Olympic Stadium of Rades in Tunis on Friday evening in what will be a game of the third round of their African Cup of Nations qualification campaign. The two teams belong to Group J, together with Equatorial Guinea and Botswana.

Tunisia

Ranked as the 30th team in the world by FIFA, Tunisia have been playing some very good football in recent years. The culmination of the fine work they’ve been doing, at least up to this point, was their historic World Cup victory over eventual finalists and defending champions at the time, France. It was Wahbi Khazri who netted the only goal of that game.

Nevertheless, the three points won on that day, together with the one they took from Denmark, weren’t enough and Tunisia left the tournament in Qatar after the group stage, finishing ahead of Denmark, but behind France and Australia.

In these qualifications, Tunisia top the group, having beaten Equatorial Guinea at home by 4-0 and drawn 0-0 away to Botswana.

Team News

Kahzri retired from international football after the World Cup, and in his absence, Youssef Msakni is expected to lead the line, joined upfront by Seifeddine Jaziri, and with Aissa Laidouni in support. Ellyes Skhiri should be anchoring the midfield, with Hannibal Mejbri and Ghaylene Chaalali also in the middle section of the team. Yassine Meriah and Dylan Bronn are likely to pair up in the heart of defence, flanked by Ali Maaloul and Mohamed Drager. The spot between the posts should be taken by Moez Ben Cherifia.

Libya

Lybia managed to beat Botswana in the opening round by 1-0, courtesy of a solitary goal by Saleh Al Taher, but failed to follow that up in the next game, suffering a 2-0 defeat in Equatorial Guinea. The three points and the goal-difference of -1 have them in third place at the moment, behind Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea, despite the fact that the latter have the same number of points and a goal-difference of -2.

The greatest worry Lybia face ahead of the trip to Tunisia is that they lost their last six successive away games in all competition. That’s obviously a trend they’ll need to get rid of as soon as possible if they intend to make a serious effort to qualify for the AFCON next year, but doing so in Tunisia will surely be a big mountain to climb.

Team News

Murad Al-Wuheeshi should be in goal, with the back four of Mustafa Hamza, Ali Salama, Mansour Makkari, and Salah Fakroun in front of him. Anas Al Shibli, Muaid Ellafi, Mohammed Soulah, Faraj Al-Aawej are expected to form the midfield section, while Salem Elmslaty and Akram Zuway lead the line upfront.

Conclusion

Tunisia haven’t had any real problems with Libya for a while now and they’re expected to win this clash with no major difficulty. On the other hand, the main strength of the hosts is their stable defence. One or two goals should be enough to see them through.

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Betfair