The penultimate gameweek four fixture in Group A of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will see Gambia take on Madagascar  at Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi on Monday afternoon.

These two locked horns just three days ago in Casablanca and played out a 1-1 draw, with both goals coming deep in stoppage time at the end of each half.

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Gambia went into last week’s match as the marginal favourites and dominated the game from the first whistle, but despite managing 22 shots at goal, it took virtually the final kick of the game for them to find the back of the net.

The man responsible for sparing the Scorpions’ blushes was Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh,  who netted in the seventh minute of added time beyond the 90, to cancel out Clement Couturier’s  opener in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the first period.

Adding to the disappointment for Johny McKinstry   last week was seeing Comoros pull off an against-the-odds victory over Tunisia in Rades, meaning that a defeat for his side here will result in them needing to beat both of the aforementioned in their final two matches of the group to have a chance of finishing in the top two.

Of course, it does not help matters that due to the stadiums in Gambia failing to meet FIFA standards, McKinstry’s side is forced to play their ‘home’ games at a neutral venue, in this case, Morocco.

Still, the two positives for the Scorpions’ new boss are that his side have only been beaten by Gabon and Tunisia since his arrival (W1 D2 L2), and they have also found the net in each of his first five matches in charge.

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Meanwhile, Madagascar have arguably been a tad unlucky to still be at the bottom of the table, as they have proven that while they may not be the most attacking team around, they are certainly a tough side to beat.

Madagascar’s major issue has been their tendency to drop points from solid positions, having now done so in all three matches in this competition.

Last week was the second time Barea experienced heartbreak in stoppage time in this competition, having suffered the same fate in their opening game against Tunisia, while on matchday two, they took an early lead against Comoros but conceded just before the interval and had to settle for a point.

However, under the guidance of Romuald Rakotondrabe  , there has undoubtedly been a major improvement, as the side have only lost three of their last 10 games (W4 D3 L3), with those defeats coming against formidable opponents in Ghana, Rwanda and Tunisia.

Team News

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Minteh has been the main man for Gambia in recent times, playing a role in three of the last four goals the side have scored, including tucking away two himself while setting up Ali Sowe   against Tunisia.

The Brighton attacker will almost certainly feature from the start this week, while McKinstry may be tempted to bring Musa Barrow   back into the starting 11 after a fairly underwhelming performance from Muhammed Badamosi   last time out.

For Madagascar,Nicolas Fontaine   is likely to return to the starting lineup this week to partner Louis Demoleon   in central defence, while Radoniaina Rabemanantsoa and Kenji-Van Boto  should keep their spots at full-back.

Marco llamaharitra made an impressive cameo off the bench and could be handed a start, potentially for teenager El Hadari Raheriniaina  , in which case Rakotondrabe may revert to a 4-4-2 with Warren Caddy and Ryan Ponti  leading the line.

Gambia possible starting lineup:
Jarju; Ceesay, Gomez, Colley, Touray; Khan, Adams, Sowe, Jallow, Minteh; Barrow

Madagascar possible starting lineup:
Laiton; Rabemanantsoa, Demoleon, Fontaine, Boto; Raveloson, Amada, Couturier, Ilaimaharitra; Caddy, Ponti

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com