Action continues in Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations as Mauritania and Angola lock horns at the Stadium of Peace Bouake on Saturday.
The Palancas Negras picked up a huge point against group favourites Algeria in their opening game and will look to build on that result.
Mauritania, meanwhile, were denied a dream start to the 2023 AFCON as they fell to a 1-0 loss against Burkina Faso in their group opener on Tuesday.
Amir Abdou’s side have now failed to win their last five matches across all competitions, losing three and picking up two draws since October’s 2-1 friendly victory over Madagascar.
This poor run also sees Mauritania occupy fifth place in Group B of the World Cup qualifiers after picking up just one point in their opening two games.
Elsewhere, Al-Ittihad Alexandria forward Mabululu came up clutch for Angola as he netted his 68th-minute penalty to hand the nation a 1-1 draw against Algeria in Monday’s group curtain-raiser.
Pedro Goncalves’ men have now played out five consecutive draws in their last five outings, ever since their 4-0 friendly defeat against Iran on September 12.
Angola, who sit third in Group D, are currently 117th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, 12 spots below Saturday’s opponents.
Mauritania vs Angola Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- The results have been split right down the middle in the history of this fixture, with Mauritania and Angola claiming one win each in their previous four meetings.
- Their most recent encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations came in January 2013, when they played out a goalless draw in Cameroon.
- Mauritania have lost their last four AFCON matches, conceding eight goals and failing to find the back of the net since a goalless draw against Tunisia in 2019.
- Angola have failed to taste victory in their last seven outings across all competitions, picking up six draws and losing once since last July’s 4-2 victory over Lesotho in the COSAFA Cup.
Mauritania vs Angola Prediction
Having failed to win their respective opening games, Mauritania and Angola will head into the weekend looking to get their AFCON campaign up and running. However, their last two meetings have ended all square and we predict they will cancel out each other’s efforts once again.
Prediction: Mauritania 1-1 Angola
