Botswana - Mozambique predictions and free betting tips [16/11/2023]

On Thursday, in the first round of the group stage of the CAF qualifying tournament, Botswana will host Mozambique for a right to play in the World Cup. The competition will take place at the 'Obed Itani Chilume' stadium in Francistown. 

Botswana

Botswana's national team has never participated in the final stage of the World Cup, and in its history, the team has only once reached the group stage of the African Cup in 2012. The team's performance in the COSAFA Cup is decidedly more successful, with a tournament final reached in 2019. In the current African Nations Cup, the "Zebras" failed to qualify, accumulating only 4 points in their group.

Botswana's last match was against Eswatini, where they triumphed with a score of 2:1 in a friendly match. Coach Mogomotsi Mpote employs a 4-3-3 formation. There are no players competing in Europe in the squad; the team's backbone is composed of 'Gaborone' club's players.

Mozambique

After Mozambique gained independence, a civil war broke out, negatively affecting sport. The majority of players preferred to play in Europe and gained citizenship from Portugal, their former colonial power. Mozambicans last participated in the final stage of the African Cup in 2010 but didn't advance to the playoffs.

In this qualifying cycle, the team ranked second in its quartet, scoring 10 points and surpassing both Benin and Rwanda. However, they failed to get out of the group in the COSAFA Cup. In October, Mozambique had two matches: a 1:1 tie with Angola and a 2:3 defeat to Nigeria. Team coach Chiquinho Conde utilises a 4-4-1-1 formation. Mozambique's star player, the 'Sporting' winger Gatamo, is injured.

Head-to-Head Matches

The rivals have played 11 matches against each other, with Botswana earning 3 victories and experiencing 6 losses. The teams last encountered each other in a friendly game in 2015, with Mozambique emerging victorious with a score of 2:1.

Botswana Vs. Mozambique Match Prediction

I don't think Botswana national team will manage to score even in a home match. It's worth betting on a Mozambique victory, featuring players with European football experience.

Total Goals Prediction

Both teams relatively score quite a lot compared to other African nations. I believe in this face-off, it's worth betting on TO (total over).