Malawi and Senegal have a good chance to reach the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations when they face off in their final Group B fixture at Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam, on Tuesday.
The Flames kept alive their hopes of reaching their first-ever knockout stage of the competition in three attempts when they pulled a 2-1 comeback win against Zimbabwe in their second group fixture.
Malawi had lost their opener 1-0 against Guinea but the comeback result against the Warriors gave them a strong belief that they can go through from the group if they get a win against the Lions of Teranga.
Meanwhile, Senegal started their campaign in the 33rd edition with a 1-0 win against the Warriors before they battled to a 0-0 draw against the Syli Nationale.
They are on four points and sitting second in the group while Malawi are third on three points. Guinea, who will face Zimbabwe in their final group fixture, also on Tuesday, are leading the group with four points.
| Game | Malawi vs Senegal |
| Date | Tuesday, January 18 |
| Time | 18:00 SA Time - (16:00 GMT) |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
| Online Streaming | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| DStv.com/DStv Now App https://www.showmax.com/eng/welcome/za | SuperSport TV's PSL channel 202/SuperSport TV's Variety 3 channel 208 |
Squads & Team News
Malawi have not reported any injury or Covid-19 related concerns heading into the decisive fixture.
Orlando Pirates forward Gabadinho Mhango, who missed the opening game after testing positive for Covid-19 but returned to score two goals in the victory against Zimbabwe, is confident the Flames have what it takes to extinguish Senegal.
BackpagePix.“It’s a big game, they look good on paper because there are big stars there for Senegal,” Mhango said. “People can say we must fear them, but at the end of the day it is 90 minutes and it will be determined on the field of play.
“People did doubt us and see us as underdogs, but we have got a big heart and I can see everyone on the team wants to play that game and show that we can be better than them.”
Meanwhile, Senegal received a double boost on Monday after goalkeeper Edouard Mendy returned to training after missing two group matches owing to Covid-19 while midfielder Pape Gueye was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to play in the tournament.
However, there is no news on whether captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who had also tested positive for Covid-19, will be available for the fixture while winger Ismaila Sarr, will not be involved since he is currently in Spain to check on a knee specialist.
Match Preview
Ironically, this will be the first encounter between Malawi and Senegal at Afcon.
In the history of the competition, the Flames have lost their third game in the group stage on each of their previous two appearances, losing to Ghana in 1984 (0-1) and Mali in 2010 (1-3).
BackpagePix.The Lions of Teranga have lost just one of their last eight group stage games at Afcon since the start of the 2017 edition, winning five and drawing two, and managing to keep six clean sheets and concede just three goals.
Senegal are making their 16th appearance at Afcon, it’s a record for a team that has never won the trophy. The closest they came to winning the tournament was in 2002 (lost the final on penalties against Cameroon) and 2019 (lost 1-0 to Algeria in the final).
Meanwhile, Malawi’s two previous appearances at Afcon were in 1984 and 2010 when they finished bottom of their group on both occasions, winning only one of their six matches after drawing one and losing four.
During the qualifying campaign for the current edition, Malawi scored only four goals in six games, the joint-lowest tally of the 24 teams at this year’s tournament alongside Comoros.
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