Namibia - Mali predictions and free betting tips [24/01/2024]

Today, as part of the 3rd round of Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations, the teams of Namibia and Mali will compete.

Namibian National Team

The Namibian team demonstrated inconsistency in the first two rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations, greatly surprising experts. In their first match, they sensationally defeated the strong Tunisian team with a score of 1:0, owing to a late goal from Otto in the 88th minute. Throughout the match, the Namibians held their own against the favourites, creating enough moments and potentially scoring more than one goal, especially effective on counter-attacks. However, in the second round, the team was unexpectedly routed by South Africa with a score of 0:4. The Namibians failed the first half, falling 0:3 behind and overall showed weak play against the not-so-organised South African team, allowing 8 shots on goal.

Prior to the Africa Cup of Nations, the Namibian team had only one victory in the last 6 months, drawing with Ghana and beating São Tomé and Príncipe. Losing to Equatorial Guinea, the Namibians showed uneven form. The Namibian team is coached by the most famous footballer in the country's history, Collin Benjamin. In the qualifying tournament, the Namibians managed to beat an unstable Cameroon, which could have been due to the high-altitude location of Namibia's capital, Windhoek. The team is mainly made up of players from local and neighbouring leagues, including Botswana and South Africa, and does not have a star-studded line-up. This makes Namibia's success in the tournament particularly noticeable considering their modest resources.

Mali National Team

The Malian team is successfully progressing through the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations, holding the first place in their group with 4 points after two matches. In the first match, Mali convincingly won over South Africa with a scoreline of 2:0. Although the match was evenly contested, and the South Africans failed to convert a penalty in the first half, the Malians scored two goals within 6 minutes of the second half thanks to the efforts of Traoré and Sylla. In the second round, Mali drew 1:1 with Tunisia in a match that lacked spectacle. The goal was opened, as in the first match, by Sylla assisted by Dumbia, but after Tunisia equalised, both teams failed to create exciting moments.

Notable players in the Malian squad include Boubacar Traoré and Tottenham's midfielder Bissouma, as well as RB Leipzig academy players Haidara, Koita, and Nene. Hamari Traoré from Real Sociedad scored the winning goal in the first match.

Mali has shown an impressive series of results, having gone 9 matches without defeat, including 7 wins. In friendly matches, they beat Saudi Arabia and Guinea-Bissau, and in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they drew with the CAR and beat Chad. These results demonstrate the high level of organisation in the Malian team's play and its ability to achieve success even without star names in attack.

Head-to-head

The rivals have met twice before. In the first match in 2020, in the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, Mali came out stronger, winning 1:0 in the first match and 2:1 in the second.

Match prediction Namibia - Mali

Bookmakers clearly favor the Malians, which is quite understandable. However, a draw would also suit the guests in theory, considering their goal difference even 4 points could keep them in the first place. Namibia hasn't lost its chances, they will attack, but their possibilities in attack are limited by the class of their players. I'm betting on total goals under 2.5.