Mali comfortably qualified ahead of Uganda in second after earning 16 points from 5 wins and a draw in Group E
By Kehinde Okeowo
Mali take on one time African champions, Tunisia at the Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako on 25th March hoping to earn a ticket for their first ever appearance at the World Cup in Qatar.
The visitors will, however, have the opportunity to renew hostilities four days later when The Eagles of Mali take a trip to the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi, in Tunis for the return leg.
The Carthage Eagles will go into the game with the memory of the controversial decision by Zambian referee, Janny Sikazwe, who blew the final whistle at the 85th minute when both sides met at the 2021 AFCON group stages.
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The decision eventually aided Mali in beating Tunisia and they will be hoping that the Ethiopian referee for the Friday encounter, Bamlak Tessema Weyesa, doesn’t make a similar error.
Ranking
The Malians are currently the 8th best team in Africa and occupy the 48th position in FIFA’s world ranking, but they go against Tunisia who are in the 5th position in the continent and 36th in the world.
How they qualified for playoff
Tunisia qualified for the final playoff slot after earning 13 points from 4 wins, a draw, and a loss, to edge out Equatorial Guinea who came second with 11 points. Zambia and Mauritania were 3rd and 4th respectively in Group B.
Their opponent Mali comfortably qualified ahead of Uganda in second after gaining 16 points from 5 wins and a draw in Group E. They also qualified ahead of Kenya and Rwanda and did not lose a game during qualifiers.
World Cup History
Mali are the only team among the ten countries in the playoffs never to have been to the World Cup, they will be hoping for a repeat of their AFCON win over Tunisia despite the game ending in bizarre circumstances.
The Carthage Eagles on their part will be seeking a sixth appearance at the World Cup after participating five times in the past.
Players to watch out for
Tunisia
Hannibal Mejbri
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has been making a mockery of youth football, with opponents usually resorting to kicking him to try and slow him down.
Hannibal Mejbri has long been seen as a potential future superstar, and the feeling is that his journey towards living up to that potential is just stepping up a gear.
Wahbi Khazri
Khazri was the captain of the Tunisian side that came fourth at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. In their second group game, he equalised to earn a 1–1 draw with Mali in Port Suez.
In the third match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against Mauritania, on 7th October 2021, he scored his 22nd goal in the colours of Tunisia, thus becoming the second top scorer in the country behind Issam Jemâa who scored 36 goals.
Youssef Msakni
Youssef Msakni plays as a winger or forward for Al Arabi on loan from Al-Duhail, and the Tunisia national team. Msakni has played 80 matches and scored 15 goals for Tunisia.
Omar Rekik
Omar Rekik was first selected in the Tunisia under-21 selection in October 2018, while aged only 16, before joining the Netherlands under-18 a month later.
He eventually decided to join the Tunisian national team in May 2021, as he was selected by Mondher Kebaier along with other young players such as Hannibal Mejbri. He made his international senior debut for Tunisia on 15 June 2021, starting as a midfielder in the 1-0 friendly win against Mali, who they play on Friday.
Mali
Amadou Haidara
A firm favourite of Rangnick at RB Leipzig, Haidara has more experience than most 23-year-olds and has impressed as a ball-winning midfielder with a keen eye for goal.
He loves to pick up the ball and drive from deep, and there will be a lot of scouts watching him do that in Bamako.
Yves Bissouma
The Brighton and Hove Albion player is a mobile, energetic screen in front of the defence. However, for Mali, he plays a more expansive, overtly creative role as a box-to-box midfielder capable of dribbling into advanced areas and shooting powerfully from distance.
The Eagles are another under-the-radar team to whom most should pay attention, and Bissouma is the gleaming gem at the heart of it all
Abdoulaye Doucouré
In February 2022, Mali FA President Baviuex Touré told the media that he was in negotiation with Doucouré, hoping that he would switch his international allegiance from France in time to feature in their World Cup play-offs in March.
In March 2022, Doucouré finally accepted a call-up from Mali and is in line to make his international debut this month as Mali push for World Cup qualification. He is a midfielder with Everton in the Premier League.
Moussa Djenepo
Djenepo received his first call-up to the senior team on 3rd October 2017. He made his debut on 6th October, in a goalless 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match with Ivory Coast.
On 23rd March 2019, Djenepo scored against South Sudan in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification home fixture, which ended in a 3–0 victory. He plies his trade with Southampton in the Premier League.
Favourite
Tunisia are the favourites to progress based on their ranking and experience at this stage, however, Mali will be a dangerous opponent, who are motivated to earn their first World Cup ticket.
