Prediction: Tunisia vs Mali

Prediction: Mali win

Best Odds: 21/10

Bookmaker: bet365

The Africa Cup of Nations is in full swing, as we attempt to once again discover who truly is the best team on the continent. We’ve seen everything from surprise results to one sided batterings, and it really does feel like we’re only just getting started. This weekend will see another string of entertaining clashes, as we prepare for some encounters that are bound to put the cat amongst the pigeons – which one shining example of that being Tunisia vs Mali.

Tunisia

The Tunisians have had their moments on the world stage in the last few years, to the point where they seem to compete better against teams outside of Africa than teams within it. Alas, that isn’t going to help them all too much in this tournament, and it feels like their priority needs to be getting to grips with the pace of the tournament. There’s a lot of high energy teams to go around, and if they aren’t careful, they could wind up getting left behind by some of the other favourites.

Team News

Chaouat and Badri have been tipped for places in the starting XI, in the wake of an incredibly disappointing result against Angola.

Mali

With two third place finishes in the last four AFCONs, it’s safe to say that Mali know how to turn it on when it matters the most. They seem to be capable of piecing things together at this tournament, and it always helps when you’ve got a few consistent match winners within your ranks. They aren’t exactly considered to be the favourites but they don’t really need to be, because international football has taught us that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

Team News

Doumbia is expected to come into the side for this one, but aside from that, it doesn’t feel like they’ll want to make all too many changes after their big opening win.

Factors to Consider

• The game is set to take place at Suez Stadium.
• Tunisia drew their first game of the tournament 1-1 against Angola.
• Mali won their first game of the tournament 4-1 against Mauritania.
• Tunisia’s best AFCON result was as champions back in 2004.
• Mali’s best AFCON result was as runners-up back in 1972.

Conclusion

The Africa Cup of Nations is an entertaining tournament because you just never know who is going to rise up and surprise people. This time around, although it probably won’t be much of a surprise to some people, we’re tipping Mali to do some big things. They’re fast, energetic and seem to have a lot of momentum, and those are traits that Tunisia seriously lack right now. We think it’s going to be a high scoring game, with Mali bullying their way towards another three points – but don’t let that fool you. This continent is incredibly competitive, and hopefully by the time 2022 rolls around, we’ll get to see the extension of that on the world stage like we have done in the past.

Prediction: Mali win

Best Odds: 21/10

Bookmaker: bet365