Tunisia - Mali predictions and free betting tips [20/01/2024]

In Group E's second round of the African Cup of Nations, the national teams of Tunisia and Mali will play.

Tunisian national team

The Tunisian national team arrived at the African Cup of Nations following a series of strong performances, securing three wins in their last four matches. However, in their first match of the tournament, they unexpectedly suffered a defeat against the Namibian team with a score of 0-1, conceding a goal in the 88th minute and failing to create significant chances, as evidenced by an xG (expected goals) value not even reaching 0.8. A possession rate of 63% proved futile against a not super organised Namibian team.

Youssef Msakni, who headed the ball twice in the early second half, faced excellent goalkeeping from Namibia, and in the end, his shot missed the goal. Tunisia arrived at the tournament with two wins in the World Cup qualifying round, impressively not conceding a single goal in these matches and scoring a total of seven goals. Their only failure to score came in a friendly match against Mauritania, which ended in a goalless draw. Tunisia secured victories against Sao Tome and Principe with a convincing score of 4-0 and narrowly defeated Malawi with a score of 1-0 in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Tunisian squad will definitely miss the young talent Hannibal Mejbri from Manchester United, who disappeared from the radar after his loan to Sevilla, but the team still includes other players worthy of attention. Experienced forward Taâ Yassine Khenissi may continue to lead the attack line, and winger Elias Ashuri, shining in the European leagues with Danish Copenhagen, where he became the top assist provider in the Danish championship, could overshadow veteran Naim Sliti. Youssef Msakni took the position of the second forward, adding his experience to the team and becoming the best player in the failed match against Namibia.

Malian national team

The Malian national team confidently defeated the South African team with a score of 2-0 in the first round of the African Cup of Nations. The first half was tense, and the South African team missed a chance to score from a penalty, but in the second half, the Malians took the initiative, scoring two goals in three minutes: Traore A. opened the score at the 60th minute, and Sinaly Diomande doubled the advantage at the 66th minute.

Notable players in the Malian squad include Boubacar Traore and Tottenham's midfield anchor Bissouma, as well as two players from the Red Bull Leipzig academy - Haidara, Koita, and Nene who came on as a substitute in the first match. Although the attack lacks notable names, Mali compensates with organised gameplay. The winning goal was scored by Hamari Traore from Real Sociedad.

The Malian national team boasts an impressive streak of results, with 9 matches without defeat, including 7 victories. In friendly matches, the "Eagles" defeated Saudi Arabia (3-1) and Guinea-Bissau (6-2). In the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the team drew 1-1 with the CAR on 20 November 2023 and defeated Chad with a score of 3-1 on 17 November 2023. These results confirm Mali as a strong and organised competitor at the continental level.

Head-to-Head

The recent encounters between Tunisia and Mali have been fairly balanced and intense. In March 2022, during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Tunisia advanced further thanks to their defensive style of play, managing to hold a 0-0 draw in the return match after a narrow 1-0 victory in the first leg. However, in January 2022 at the African Cup of Nations, Mali managed to beat Tunisia with a score of 1-0.

Match prediction: Tunisia - Mali

I believe the Malians are capable of showing bright football and breaking the resistance of Tunisia, which displayed a lacklustre performance against one of the weakest teams of the African Cup of Nations, Namibia. The attack of the nominal hosts in the first match was completely disorganised.