Preview: Gabon vs Mozambique - prediction, team news, lineups

Gabon and Mozambique will be seeking to get their Africa Cup of Nations campaigns back on track when they meet in a Group F clash at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir.

The former suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their opening match, while the latter lost to defending champions Ivory Coast by the same scoreline.

Match preview

Gabon arrived at the Africa Cup of Nations unbeaten within 90 minutes in six games (W4, D2), and that run gave them a measure of confidence ahead of their opening game.

However, the Panthers fell short, suffering a narrow 1–0 loss to Cameroon in their first outing in Morocco, failing to take advantage of any of their 12 shots in that encounter.

Thierry Mouyouma will be particularly frustrated by the inability of his team to find the back of the net, having scored in at least their last four fixtures leading up to that encounter.

Now up against Mozambique, who are winless in their last four outings - a run which includes three losses - the Panthers will be confident about their chances of earning a positive result.

The results of previous meetings between them are also another reason this fixture is heavily tilted in favour of the Gabonese, with three victories and a loss in four matches.

Indeed, the Mambas of Mozambique will enter this contest as underdogs, and their poor record of 16 games at the finals without a victory will be weighing heavily on them.

The Southern African nation made their debut almost forty years ago in Egypt, and they are yet to progress beyond the group stage of the competition.

As a result, the pressure will be on the crop of players in the current setup to make history by advancing to the next round in a difficult group, but first, they have to start with a positive result against the more experienced Gabonese team.

To hope for a better result in their next outing, Chiquinho Conde knows he has to fix the malaise plaguing his defence that has seen his team ship eight goals in four matches.

Gabon Africa Cup of Nations form:

Gabon form (all competitions):

Mozambique Africa Cup of Nations form:

Mozambique form (all competitions):

Team News

Perhaps the biggest surprise from Gabon’s starting XI is that former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of the starting lineup, though he came on in the 33rd minute of the encounter.

Similarly, the experienced Mario Lemina was not named in the starting line-up, only to come on for Eric Bocoum early in the encounter.

Needing a victory to boost their chances of progressing in the competition, both Aubameyang and Lemina could be involved from the start on Sunday.

Barring any new injuries, Conde is likely to send out the same team that lost to Ivory Coast in the first match.

Hernani Siluane should start between the sticks after a decent performance in their previous contest.

In midfield, Manuel Kambala is expected to be at the base of the midfield, building play from the middle of the park.

Up top, Witi should retain his spot as the lone man chasing down balls while waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

Gabon possible starting lineup:

Mbaba; Oyono, Ecuele Manga, Mouckettou-Mossounda, Ekomia; Openda, Poko, Ndong; Aubameyang, Bouanga, Lemina

Mozambique possible starting lineup:

Siluane; Diogo Calila, Mexer, Mandava, Langa; Kambala; Catamo, Amade, Guima, Ratifo; Witi

We say: Gabon 1-1 Mozambique

Both sides will come into this contest desperate for points; hence, we are expecting a keenly contested match with few chances. That said, the teams will push forward in hopes of winning the match, but this encounter has a stalemate written all over it. Thus, we are predicting that this match will end in a 1-1 draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.