Group A of the Chan 2014 tournament resumes again tomorrow with table-toppers South Africa going up against 2nd-placed Mali. Both teams registered wins in their opening games with Bafana Bafana beating minnows Mozambique 3-1 and Mali outclassing tournament favourites, Nigeria, by a 2-1 scoreline.
On paper, Mali have a good record against Gordon Igesund's team having beaten them twice thus far, their first win coming in the 2002 Afcon in Mali (2-0), and the latest coming during their quarterfinal fixture at the 2013 Afcon (3-1 on penalties after 1-1 draw).
With this likely to be a tightly contested clash, it remains to be seen who will be the first team to advance to the quarterfinal stages with a game to spare.
The Super Eagles will look to redeem themselves after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Mali. Stephen Keshi's men are out to claim a win against the Black Mambas of Mozambique when they clash in their second Group A fixture tomorrow night. Both teams lost their first ties, and will go hard at each other to see who is able to pick up their first three points of the tournament.
If you are a betting person, here are tips ahead of the fixtures brought to you by Soccer 6 and Wits assistant coach, Paul Johnstone.
For more info on this and other fixtures, go to the Soccer 6 website here or the Soccer 6 mobi-site here!
SOUTH AFRICA V MALI
League position: SA 1st and Mali 2nd (both Group A)
Useful tips: Bafana Bafana got their Chan tournament off to a positive start by defeating Mozambique 3-1 in the opening game. Gordon Igesund's charges will no doubt want to continue their good form when they take on a physically imposing Mali outfit. This should be a hard-fought contest in Cape Town.
Paul Johnstone: Bafana are flying. Win for Bafana.
NIGERIA V MOZAMBIQUE
League position: Nigeria 3rd and Mozambique 4th (both Group A)
Useful tips: Nigeria got their Chan tournament off to a poor start after losing to Mali in their opening match. Stephen Keshi will expect a strong response from his side after that uncertain opening. Mozambique are likely to be underdogs in this contest.
Paul Johnstone: I'm surprised by how poor Nigeria were in their first game, but I'll go for a draw.
