Preview: Mali vs Zambia - prediction, team news, lineups

Mali and Zambia will kick off their Africa Cup of Nations journey when they clash at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on Monday, in Group A of the competition.

Mali will be hoping to make a mark this year, while Zambia will also aim to add to their solitary AFCON title from 2012 in this year’s competition.

Match preview

Mali will enter this competition hoping to win their maiden AFCON title, but they must get off to a strong start against former champions Zambia to set the tone for what they hope to achieve in Morocco.

The West Africans have had notable appearances in previous competitions, but they have found it hard to leave a lasting impression on Africa’s premier competition, finishing second once and managing two bronze medals.

Given the quality of the Malian squad, they will be in a confident mood ahead of this fixture, but Africa’s showpiece tournament is reputed for throwing up surprises.

A case in point was Mali’s 4–0 defeat against the same opponents in the 1994 edition in neighbouring Tunisia.

Having said that, the West African side have struggled against the Chipolopolo in all competitions, winning once, while Zambia have claimed two victories and three draws in their last six meetings.

Zambia will also be confident entering the 2025 competition, but they are considered outsiders by many across the African continent.

The Chipolopolo finished top of their qualifying group, and having failed to qualify for three editions of the tournament after taking home the trophy in 2012, they will be aiming to make the most of their appearance in this competition.

Playing their first game in the competition against Mali, rather than Morocco, who are also in their group, will be considered a good start for them, considering that they have a good record against Monday’s opponents.

The former champions will be led into the competition by former Chelsea manager Avram Grant, meaning they have an experienced manager at the helm, and their fans will be hoping that his experience pays off when hostilities start in Morocco.

Mali form (all competitions):

Zambia form (all competitions):

Team News

Mali have brought several new players into their squad, and one such new entrant is Kamory Doumbia, who has proven to be a talisman for his country, losing only one fixture in 11 games where he found the back of the net.

That said, the Mali national team doctors will be sweating on the fitness of Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma, who is currently battling an injury.

In goal, Mamadou Samassa should get the nod to start between the sticks for Tom Saintfiet’s side.

Fenerbahce forward Nene Dorgeles should also get the manager’s nod to start in attack on Monday.

For Zambia, Patson Daka of Leicester is listed in the squad, and he is expected to bear the goalscoring responsibilities for his country.

Kennedy Musonda, who plies his trade in Israel with Hapoel Ramat Gan, is also part of the Zambian squad, and he will likely get the nod to partner Daka up front.

Mali possible starting lineup:

Samassa; Dante, Fofana, Niakate, W. Coulibaly; Dieng,Sangare; L. Doumbia,Nene Coulibaly; Toure

Zambia possible starting lineup:

Mulenga; Bandar, Musonda, Chanda, Hamansenya; Phindi, Simunkonda, Chaiwa, Sakala; Kangwa, Daka

We say: Mali 1-1 Zambia

We expect a tight encounter between the two sides, given that it is their first match in the competition, and it could be a cagey affair, so we reckon both sides could play out a 1–1 draw.

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