The concluding round of matches in the 2023 African Nations Championship sees Niger and Madagascar battle it out for a podium finish in Friday's third-place meeting.
Niger were comprehensively thrashed by tournament hosts Algeria in their semi-final encounter, while Madagascar fell at the hands of Senegal.
Match preview
Madagascar saw their CHAN run come to an end on Tuesday following a 1-0 defeat against Senegal's Lions of Teranga at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.
Pape Diallo opened the scoring just under five minutes into the contest, and that was enough to put Romuald Rakotondrabe's men to the sword.
Consequently, Barea have now seen their 10-match unbeaten streak across all competitions come to an end, a run which included seven wins and three draws.
Next up for them is the challenge of an opposing outfit who are without a victory in the previous two meetings between the teams prior to Friday's encounter.
In what is set to be their final outing before the AFCON qualifiers take centre-stage, Madagascar will be keen to get back to winning ways and cap off what has been a fine CHAN outing.
Niger were left red-faced as they suffered a 5-0 demolition against Algeria in Tuesday's last-four encounter between the teams at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium.
First-half strikes from Ayoub Abdellaoui, Aymen Mahious and a Katakore Boureima own goal left Harouna Doula's men with a mountain to climb after which Soufiane Bayazid put the icing on the cake.
That was a second defeat in five games since the turn of the year for the Dama Gazelle, who also suffered their heaviest defeat since November 2021.
Having already surpassed their best-ever finish at the African Nations Championship, Niger now target one final feather in the cap at this year's event.
Team News
With relatively little to play for in this one, both teams will contemplate ringing the changes and handing first-team opportunities to a number of fringe players.
Niger's duo of Faysal Abdoulaye and Bilyamine Moussa were subbed off early in the defeat to Algeria, and they could both lose their starting berths for Friday's affair.
Solom Raza failed to directly contribute to a goal for the first time this tournament against Senegal, but the 22-year-old remains one to keep an eye on.
Defender Lalaina Rafanomezantosa had a game to forget last time out, and it would be no surprise to see him drop to the bench for this one.
Niger possible starting lineup:
Djibo; Garba, Katkore, Souley, Adamou; Iboun, Aboubacar; Seyni, Moudou, Salissou; Hainikoye
Madagascar possible starting lineup:
Razakanirina; Rabarijaona, Rakotonirina, Tantely, Nirina; Andriamanjato, Andriamirado; Tokinantenaina, Rafanomezantosa, Raza; Razafindrakoto
We say: Niger 0-1 Madagascar
Niger were on the receiving end of a demoralising loss last time out, so it remains to be seen how dampened their morale will be heading into this one. Mozambique, meanwhile, came away from their semi-final clash with their heads high, and we can see them carrying the day here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
