Africa Cup of Nations Group E will go down to the final matchday of the group stage. All four teams in Group E can still progress to the knockout stage as either the top two finishers or as a top-ranked third place team.
Mali head into their third group stage game atop Group E. The Eagles have claimed four points from six possible in the group stage. Mali defeated Mauritania 4-1 before drawing with Tunisia 1-1 in their second game.
Angola registered two points from six in their first two Group E matches. They managed a 1-1 draw with Tunisia and nil-nil stalemate against Mauritania. Goals have been hard to come by for Srdjan Vasiljevic’s team.
The Sable Antelopes are in third place in Group F on two points courtesy of goal difference. Tunisia sit second but could get overtaken with a poor performance and Angola result.
Mali manager Mohamed Magassouba has seen his side score five times in the group stage. They exploded for four goals with Abdoulay Diaby, Moussa Marega, Adama Traore II, and Adama Traore I all scoring goals against Mauritania.
Diadie Samassekou scored Mali’s fifth goal of the tournament against Tunisia showing they have highly capable goal scorers in the side and don’t rely on one player.
Five of Mali’s last 10 matches in all competitions have seen over 2.5 goals scored. Six of those 10 games featured both teams scoring. That includes five straight matches finishing with both teams scoring.
Angola have lost only one of their last eight matches in all competitions. Their only loss came in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying against Mauritania, 1-0, last October. Since then, Angola have gone five games unbeaten.
Only two of Angola’s last eight games have seen over 2.5 goals scored. Their fixtures are defensive and low scoring and five of their last eight games have seen one team held to a clean sheet.
Mali and Angola have met just four times in their histories. Mali have posted a 1W-2D-1L record in their four matches against Angola. Their last meeting saw an eight-goal thriller that ended level 4-4. That game was played in 2010.
The last two games between Mali and Angola have finished with over 2.5 goals. Tuesday night’s match will once again see these teams score over 2.5 goals.
Despite Angola getting back to back results, they will only manage a draw against Mali. It may not be enough for Angola to go through as a third-place team, although Mali can still top Group E with a result.