Mauritiana and Gabon will play the last game of Group I in the African Cup of Nations qualifying. This weekend’s meeting has all the makings of a thrilling matchup. Both teams are in the running to qualify for the 2019 AFCON.
Preview (Mauritania vs. Gabon)
When the two teams faced off on June 20 at Stade Adrar, Mauritania easily defeated Sudan with a resounding 3-0 victory. Mohamed Nouh gave Amir Abdou’s team the lead midway through the first half. El Hassan Houbeib and Hemeya Tanjy scored in the second half to seal the victory. The Lions of Chinguetti’s three-game losing streak ended after their victory over Mali in the African Nations Championship qualifiers. Both countries have only one win for each club in the previous four matches and two stalemates. The difficulty of competing against the opposition that lies ahead is in store.
The hosts on Saturday will be eager to secure a quick return to winning ways in front of their supporters after recently suffering their first defeat at home in 2021. When Gabon lost 2-0 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 18 at Stade de Franceville, their chances of winning the AFCON suffered yet another setback. Aaron Tshibola’s goal put Patrice Neveu’s team behind 11 minutes before the break. Fiston Mayele’s goal in the dying seconds of the match sealed the outcome.
Les Pantheres are currently tied on points with their upcoming opponents in third place in their qualification group after collecting seven points from five games. The visitors on Saturday must put on a near-perfect performance once more away from home. They are now unbeaten in three straight competitive games.
Team News
After scoring for Mauritania in the most recent match on Saturday, Pape Ibnou Ba will look to repeat his performance. Since July, Aboubakar Kamara has not played for Olympiacos at the club level. It is unlikely that the 28-year-old will participate in this weekend’s game. Denis Bouanga of Gabon is anticipated to keep his place in the starting lineup after amassing 12 goals and six assists in 24 league games this season.
Bruno Ecuele Manga is almost at 100 international appearances and would become just the third player in history to do so for the opposition. The stakes for Saturday’s game could not be higher right now, and we anticipate an exciting contest. Having said that, we anticipate the teams canceling each other out and agreeing to a draw at the end of the 90 minutes.
Mauritiana 1 – 1 Gabon
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