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2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Group E
Mali v South Africa
Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium
Korhogo, Ivory Coast
Tuesday, 16 January 2023
Kick-off is at 22h00
Mali will lock horns with South Africa in the
2023 AFCON Group E match at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on 16 January.
Current Form
The Eagles hammered Guinea-Bissau 6-2 in a friendly match on 6 January as they extended their unbeaten run to seven matches across all competitions.
Mali lost their last game in the AFCON finals on penalties to Equatorial Guinea in the 2021 edition, but prior to that they were undefeated in three matches in the competition.
South Africa, on the other hand, were held to a 0-0 draw by Lesotho in a friendly match on 10 January and they are winless in their last two games across all competitions.
Bafana Bafana have been inconsistent in the AFCON finals - losing three games and winning twice in their last five games which came in the 2019 edition.
Team News
Ronwen Williams, Themba Zwane and Mothobi Mvala are nursing injuries, but the Bafana Bafana trio travelled with the team to Ivory Coast where they will be monitored.
Meanwhile, Mali will be without the services of Crystal Palace defensive midfielder Cheick Doucoure who is nursing a long-term injury.
Quotes
“It’s not the most difficult group but we have Tunisia and Mali, two good opponents," Bafana head coach Hugo Broos said about their group rivals.
"Teams that are almost always at the Afcon and they have done well, especially Tunisia, at the World Cup.
“Mali is playing some kind of home game (in Ivory Coast) which is closer to the border of Mali, so yes, they will be very motivated. It will not be easy.”
Head-to-Head
Mali and South Africa have met four times across all competitions. The Eagles have won two games compared to Bafana's one win, while one game ended in a draw.
The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 2-1 win in favour of Bafana in a friendly match played in October 2019.
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