Prediction: Tunisia vs Mali

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 17/10

Bookmaker: 888sport

Tunisia and Mali are set to face each other in the second leg of their clash in the play-offs of the World Cup qualifications on Tuesday evening. Tunisia won the first leg, played on Friday at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, Mali, by 0-1.

It was a night of pure horror for Moussa Sissako. The Mali centre-back, currently plying his trade in Belgium with Standar Liege, scored an own-goal in the 36th minute which later turned out to have decided the match in the favour of the opposition. Just four minutes later, he was sent off as the referee deemed him to have brought down Seifeddine Jaziri, thus denying the Tunisia striker a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Tunisia

Tunisia finished their group stage qualification campaign at the top of Group B in Africa, with 13 points to their name. They were followed by Equatorial Guinea (11), Zambia (7), and Mauritania (2).

Meanwhile, Tunisia reached the quarterfinals of this year’s African Cup of Nations, where they were eventually stopped by Burkina Faso (0-1). That was the last game in charge for Mondher Kebaier, who has since been replaced by Jalel Kadri. Kadri’s stint in the Tunisia hot-seat obviously got off to a great start. The result that they’ve brought from Mali will have seen their confidence rise, ahead of the rematch at their own stadium of Stade Olympique de Rades where they are currently on a four-match winning streak.

In all competitions, Tunisia’s last-six run begins, interestingly enough, with a 0-1 defeat to none other than Mali in the group stage of the African Cup of Nations. That was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of Mauritania and a 0-1 defeat to Gambia, as well as a 1-0 win over Nigeria in the round of 16, before Burkina Faso put a stop to their involvement in the tournament. The last match played so far is, of course, the first leg triumph in Mali.

Team News

Jaziri is on a 12-game barren run at the moment, and the striker might therefore make way for Taha Yassine Khenissi, but Kadri shouldn’t have any reason to change anything else in his team for this match, compared to the first leg.

Mali

As for Mali, they obviously face a difficult task of attempting to overturn a home loss on foreign soil. Their supporters will likely feel it a shame if they fail to book a place in Qatar, after winning five of the six matches in the qualifying Group E and avoiding defeat altogether. They finished at the head of the pack with 16 points, with Uganda (9), Kenya (6) and Rwanda (1) left in their wake.

The African Cup of Nations saw Mali eliminated in the round of 16, at the hands of the Equatorial Guinea on penalties.

In chronological order, their last six matches were a 1-0 win over Uganda, the 1-0 win over Tunisia at the AFCON, a 1-1 draw against Gambia, a 2-0 win over Mauritania, the mentioned round-of-16 clash against the Equatorial Guinea which ended in a goalless draw before the penalties were taken, and, of course, the first leg of this tie which they lost to Tunisia at home by 0-1.

Team News

Spare a thought for poor Sissako, who will without a doubt be the national villain if Mali fail to qualify for the World Cup. The 22-year-old obviously has a lot to learn yet, and it is to be hoped that this experience makes him stronger and wiser in the future. Naturally, he is out for this match through suspension, with Amiens defender Mamadou Fofana the man likeliest to step into the breach.

Southampton midfielder Moussa Djenepo will be hoping to get a start ahead of Nene Dorgeles.

Conclusion

Tunisia will likely see this tie out with patience and a calm defensive approach. A draw will do for them.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 17/10

Bookmaker: 888sport