AFCON 2013: South Africa vs Mali preview

February 1, 2013
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

South Africa vs MoroccoHosts South Africa somehow made it past the group stages, but they face a stern test in the quarter-finals, with Mali hoping to qualify for the AFCON semi-finals second time in a row.

Similar to what happened at the 2010 World Cup, Bafana Bafana had a really slow start to the tournament, looking very disappointing in the opening draw against Cape Verde.

The team, nonetheless, managed to recover from the opening setback to record a 2-0 win over Angola, meaning they needed just one point from their final group match to go through.

Getting past the group stage proved to be a very difficult task as Bafana Bafana had to come from a goal down on two occasions, but they eventually got the result they needed to the delight of the fans in Durban.

Gordon Igesund’s attack-minded approach yielded results against Angola and Morocco, but with the stakes very high now, he is likely to revert to more defensive tactics.

Right-back Anele Ngconca misses out through suspension, but Lehlohonolo Majoro and Thulani Serero have recovered from injury.

South Africa are 2.40 (7/5) with Coral to win in regular time, while they are 1.67 (2/3) at William Hill to qualify for the semis.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Khune – Gaxa, Khumalo, Sangweni, Masilela – Phala, Mahlangu, Furman, Parker – Rantie, Majoro.

Following the third-place finish at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Mali continued the rich vein of form, and they thus arrived in South Africa full of confidence.

While les Aigles have not really impressed in group stage, they did enough to qualify for the quarter-finals, although it is more than clear there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Boss Patrice Carteron’s decision to deploy Samba Diakite and Modibo Maiga as wingers behind lone striker Mamadou Samassa yielded great results, meaning the trio is likely to continue in attack.

The biggest concern at the moment is that goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa (same name and surname as the striker) is suspended after picking up two yellow cards, with Soumbela Diakite set to deputize.

In a game of strength vs speed, Mali are hoping the former will prevail, so bear in mind Betfair pays 2.20 (6/5) on les Aigles to go through.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Soumbela Diakite – Diawara, A. Coulibaly, Wague, Tamboura – Sow, Sissoko, Keita – Samba Diakite, Samassa, Maiga.

2013 Champions League Bet Refund!

If Real Madrid win The Champions League 2013, BetVictor will refund all losing outright winner bets. Up to up to a maximum of £/€50 per person/household.

We Highly Recommend These Places
Share your Opinion!