After a group stage that delivered an average of 3.6 goals a game we look at the match-ups in Morocco that start on Saturday
Senegal, winners of the Afcon in 2022, have arguably the best collection of players, including the experience of Sadio Mané and the explosive talent of Nicolas Jackson, and are superior to their east African opponents. But Sudan, who qualified for the tournament despite the tragedy of a horrendous war in their country, certainly match the Lions of Teranga in fortitude. Sudan, coached by the Ghanaian Kwesi Appiah, who led his home country at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, played all their qualifiers away from home, with the war, which began in April 2023, shutting down a thriving domestic league. The Sudan striker John Mano told the BBC: “Some of them [people in Sudan] cannot watch the matches … They can’t even listen on the radio … We are trying to free our country, through the football way.” An win for Sudan would be one of the fairytales of the tournament.
This is going to be one of the tastier games of the round, with Mali, coached by the Belgian Tom Saintfiet, having the depth of talent and presence of character to beat a Tunisian side who showed only glimpses of their potential in a dramatic 3-2 group defeat by Nigeria. Mali’s free-flowing football, attractive to the eye, is an ever-present danger to their opponents, and their players include Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma and the Auxerre striker Lassine Sinayoko, who leads the forward line. Tunisia, led by their 1998 World Cup player Sami Trabelsi, are yet to display the form that enabled them to qualify with relative ease for this summer’s World Cup. If they can rediscover their mojo, they could be a surprise team of the competition because they have the balance to thrive.
