Namibia  will face Mali  at the Laurent Pokou Stadium on Wednesday in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of nations  group stages.

The Brave Warriors kicked off their Nations Cup campaign with a surprise 1-0 victory over Tunisia , with Deon Hotto heading home the game-winner two minutes from normal time. They were, however, thrashed 4-0 by South Africa in their second group game and could have no real complaints about the result after managing just one shot on target throughout the match.

Mali, meanwhile, beat South Africa 2-0 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in their group opener last week, with Hamari Traore and Lassine Sinayoko scoring a quickfire second-half double to clinch maximum points for the Eagles. They then played out a 1-1 draw against Tunisia last time out with Sinayoko scoring an early opener before their opponents drew level midway through the first half.

The Eagles sit atop the Group E standings with four points and only need a point on Wednesday to confirm a last-16 spot.

Namibia vs Mali Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• There have been six meetings between the two teams. Namibia have won just one of those games while Mali have won four times. There has been one draw between the two teams.
• The two teams last faced off in an AFCON qualifying clash back in November 2020 which the Malians won 2-1.
• Mali are undefeated in their last five games in this fixture, a run stretching back to 1995.
• Namibia have the worst defensive record in Group E so far with a goal concession tally of four.

Namibia’s latest result ended a three-game unbeaten streak and they will be looking to bounce back this week. They have, however, endured a tough run of results in this fixture historically and could struggle here.

Mali are on a brilliant nine-game unbeaten streak, picking up seven wins and two draws in that period. The Eagles are in much better form than their opponents ahead of Tuesday’s game and they should win this one.

Prediction: Namibia 1-2 Mali

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