The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations moves into the second round of group games and Group E looks like it could be very tight.
As things stand, Mali lead the group on 3 points, with Angola and Tunisia on 1 point each and Mauritania bottom on 0 points.
On the 29th June, Angola meet Mauritania at the Suez Stadium in what could be a significant match for both teams. A win for Angola would place them in a very strong position to qualify while Mauritania know a defeat could signal the end of their participation in the tournament.
Angola started their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a good 1-1 draw against Tunisia. The North Africans were the favorites to take maximum points but Angola delivered a good performance to take a point from the match. Having gone 1-0 down last in the first half, Angola struck back with 17 minutes remaining to seal a draw.
The Palancas Negras dominated possession in the second half and deserved their point. That result means they have lost only one of their last eight games and that came against Mauritania away from home in qualifying.
Trends show Angola have scored at least one goal in eleven of their last thirteen matches and they appear to know their way to goal. However, they have only kept a single clean sheet in their last five games, so that is an area which could be improved.
Mauritania are playing the first Africa Cup of Nations in their history, so this is a huge moment for the country. They are not expected to progress from the group and they found life tough in their opening match.
Al-Murabitun kept Mali at bay until the 37th minute when Abdoulay Diaby struck and they conceded another two goals by the 55th minute. Mauritania scored their first Africa Cup of Nations goal to make it 3-1 but Mali sealed the deal with a fourth goal with 16 minutes left to play.
Trends show Mauritania have won one of their last four games. That came against Madagascar in a friendly but in addition to the defeat against Mali, they have lost to Burkina Faso in qualifying and Benin in a friendly.
Mauritania have seen over 2.5 goals in five of their last seven matches.
Looking ahead to the team news and Angola will likely stick to the same XI which started the match against Tunisia. Wilson Eduardo and Stelvio Da Cruz are pushing for a starting place.
Mauritania could bring in Ibrahima Coulibaly from the off in this game as he came on for the second half against Mali. Any other changes are likely to come in defence.
Angola may have lost at Mauritania in qualifying but they look the better team in this tournament. We should see goals in this match and Angola to win with over 2.5 goals being scored is a possibility.