Mali vs Zambia
Mali and Zambia will kick off their Africa Cup of Nations journey when they clash at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on Monday, in Group A of the competition.
The Eagles will be hoping to make a mark this year, while the Copper Bullets will also aim to add to their solitary Afcon title from 2012 in this year’s competition.
Preview
Mali will enter this competition hoping to win their maiden Afcon title, but they must get off to a strong start against former champions Zambia to set the tone for what they hope to achieve in Morocco.
The West Africans have had notable appearances in previous competitions, but they have found it hard to leave a lasting impression on Africa’s premier competition, finishing second once and managing two bronze medals.
Given the quality of the Malian squad, they will be in a confident mood ahead of this fixture, but Africa’s showpiece tournament is reputed for throwing up surprises.
A case in point was Mali’s 4–0 defeat against the same opponents in the 1994 edition in neighbouring Tunisia.
Having said that, the West African side have struggled against the Chipolopolo in all competitions, winning once, while Zambia have claimed two victories and three draws in their last six meetings.
Zambia will also be confident entering the 2025 competition, but they are considered outsiders by many across the African continent.
The Chipolopolo finished top of their qualifying group, and having failed to qualify for three editions of the tournament after taking home the trophy in 2012, they will be aiming to make the most of their appearance in this competition.
Playing their first game in the competition against Mali, rather than Morocco, who are also in their group, will be considered a good start for them, considering that they have a good record against Monday’s opponents.
The former champions will be led into the competition by ex-Chelsea boss Avram Grant, meaning they have an experienced manager at the helm, and their fans will be hoping that his nous pays off when hostilities start in Morocco.
Mali have brought several new players into their squad, and one such new entrant is Kamory Doumbia, who has proven to be a talisman for his country, losing only one fixture in 11 games where he found the back of the net.
That said, the Mali national team doctors will be sweating on the fitness of Tottenham Hotspur’s Yves Bissouma, who is currently battling an injury.
In goal, Mamadou Samassa should get the nod to start between the sticks for Tom Saintfiet’s side.
Fenerbahce forward Nene Dorgeles should also get the manager’s nod to start in attack on Monday.
For Zambia, Patson Daka of Leicester City is listed in the squad, and he is expected to bear the goalscoring responsibilities for his country.
Kennedy Musonda, who plies his trade in Israel with Hapoel Ramat Gan, is also part of the Zambian squad, and he will likely get the nod to partner Daka up front.
Mali possible starting lineup:
Samassa; Dante, Fofana, Niakate, W. Coulibaly; Dieng, Sangare; L. Doumbia, Nene Coulibaly; Toure
Zambia possible starting lineup:
Mulenga; Bandar, Musonda, Chanda, Hamansenya; Phindi, Simunkonda, Chaiwa, Sakala; Kangwa, Daka
Prediction
We expect a tight encounter between the two sides, given that it is their first match in the competition, and it could be a cagey affair, so we reckon both sides could play out a 1–1 draw.
South Africa vs Angola
Preview
Hugo Broos was disappointed with the level of Bafana Bafana’s performance in their 1-0 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) warm-up win over a second-string Ghana – and a stronger showing will be needed in their tournament opener against Angola in Marrakech on Monday.Â
Broos has stressed the need to start on the front foot against Palancas Negras in order to take pressure on South Africa’s shoulders ahead of their Boxing Day clash with Egypt in Agadir.
“The Afcon group is not bad but a little bit tricky with a team like Angola,” Broos told the media.
“Two months ago, I didn’t know so much about Angola but once a draw was there, I looked at them, they are not a bad team. Their players play abroad also.
“You can judge now what we can expect, and they are our first game. In a tournament like this, it’s very important to win your first game.
“You saw in the previous Afcon, we lost against Mali, and it was the knife here [in the neck] against Namibia in the second match.
“We will try to avoid that because our second game is Egypt. So, that’s a tough game, if that’s the game that you have to win, it becomes difficult.
“So, this is something we must avoid, then there’s Zimbabwe. Again, the first game is very important.”
The local rivalries between Bafana and neighbouring countries Angola and Zimbabwe are likely to add flavour to the group. However, Angola are in far better shape than the Warriors to provide a serious challenge to Broos’ charges.
They made the quarter-finals in 2023 – joining South Africa in exceeding expectations, with Bafana finishing third.
Broos was unhappy with Bafana’s movement of the ball in their win over Ghana – though he acknowledged that fear of risking injuries right before the tournament may have played a role in their reticence.
Against Angola, however, there will be no further room for complacency – as Bafana begin their quest for a first Afcon crown since their only previous triumph in 1996.
Key details
Date: Monday, Dec. 22 at 19:00 CAT (18:00 Moroccan time, 17:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade de Marrakech
How to watch: The match is currently scheduled to air on SuperSport’s channel 201 & 202, as well as SABC 2, in South Africa. For UK-based viewers, Channel 4 holds the broadcast rights for Afcon 2025
Team news
Bafana Bafana were boosted by the news that the knock Oswin Appollis suffered against Ghana was not bad enough to keep him out of the game. South African Football Association (SAFA) Chief Medical Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya confirmed that the team is expecting a “clean bill of health”.
South Africa will likely confront a familiar face in their efforts to breach Angola. Petro de Luanda’s Hugo Marques – formerly of Cape Town City – is likely to start in goal for Palancas.
Egypt vs Zimbabwe
Egypt begin their quest for an eighth Africa Cup of Nations title with Group B’s opener against Zimbabwe at Adrar Stadium on Monday.
Hossam Hassan’s team are one of the pre-tournament favourites, and the Pharaohs will aim to avoid coming unstuck against the Warriors, who could surprise with the element of unpredictability, having just switched manager, with Mario Marinica replacing Michael Nees last month.
Preview
Since winning their seventh African title in Luanda 15 years ago, Egypt have not added to their record number of victories, but it has not been for the want of trying.
The Pharaohs have made it to two finals — in 2017 and 2021 — only to fall to Cameroon and Senegal on both occasions, despite scoring first against the Indomitable Lions in the former and getting a let-off after Gabaski’s penalty save to deny Sadio Mane early doors in the latter.
Three-time champion Hassan is now in situ as manager of the continent’s most decorated side, aiming to bring home the title he claimed in 1986, 1998 and 2006, the latter of which was the first in Egypt’s historic three-peat.
While there is undoubted pressure on host nation Morocco, the seven-time winners enter this year’s finals carrying a weight of expectation on their shoulders, especially as the tournament is being held on North African soil.
The burden has probably never been heavier at this edition for Mohamed Salah, the nation’s captain and talisman, who enters Afcon 2025 — his fifth overall and third as captain — knowing this could be his last chance to seal his legacy in African football.
The 33-year-old was part of the group that came close at Afcons 2017 and 2021, the latter as captain, and he hopes to be third time lucky on the continent this time to put all his Liverpool turbulence behind him.
Nevertheless, Egypt must not look that far ahead, especially as they face a Zimbabwe side fresh off a managerial change after Marinica replaced Nees.
The Warriors’ change before the tournament’s start could go either way: they could shock and awe under a new tactical plan or could flounder spectacularly on their sixth appearance at the finals.
While it remains to be seen how they fare, logic points to Zimbabwe struggling at the continental showpiece, having barely pulled up trees in qualifying for the tournament.
They fired blanks in their first two matches and needed a Khama Billiat penalty to defeat Namibia on matchday three, suggesting some challenges in creating chances.
Strikingly, two of their six in qualifying came from 12 yards, and while their three clean sheets, including against five-time champions Cameroon, bode well in tournament football, the Warriors will need to defend well and make the most of opportunities created to add to their three overall Afcon wins.
Team News
While Salah is the team’s talisman, Trezeguet outscored the captain in qualifying, notching four to the former’s two and the former Aston Villa man could have a big say for the Pharaohs.
Hassan has a decision to make up top with Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed competing for a starting berth; Mohamed scored four times at Afcon 2023, underlining his expertise in tournament football.
While veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was not involved in 2017, he was part of the group that competed at Afcon 2021, although a muscle injury prevented him from completing the tournament.
Now 37, this might be his final chance to claim continental joy, having had continental joy at club level with Al Ahly, winning the CAF Champions League four times.
Walter Musona, Zimbabwe’s two-goal man in qualifying, is not part of the Warriors’ 28-player group, but team captain Knowledge Musona is undeniably in the squad.
At 35, the skipper has scored 26 times in 53 appearances for his nation and should start in one of his final Afcon appearances, along with Luton Town midfielder Marvelous Nakamba in the middle of the park.
Apart from Musona, only Prince Dube and Tawanda Chirewa have netted more than once for the Warriors, placing untold responsibility on the trio to deliver the goods for Marinica’s team.
Egypt possible starting lineup:
El Shenawy; Hany, Rabia, Ibrahim, Hamdi; Fathy, Ateya, Zizo; Salah, Mohamed, Trezeguet
Zimbabwe possible starting lineup:
Chipezeze; Murwira, Garananga, Hadebe, Lunga; Nakamba, Fabisch, Musona; Chirewa, Dube, Maswanhise
Prediction
While Zimbabwe could surprise Egypt early doors with new patterns of play and may be hard to break down, the Pharaohs have significantly superior match-winning quality.
Therefore, a routine victory could be on the cards for the seven-time champions, who are expected to hand the Warriors their 11th Afcon defeat in Agadir.
Sportsmole
