Preview: Tanzania vs Tunisia - prediction, team news, lineups

Tanzania and Tunisia will clash for the second automatic qualification spot in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations when they meet at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Tuesday.

The Taifa Stars enter this contest off the back of a 1-1 draw against neighbours Uganda, while Tunisia will be looking to recover from a 3-2 loss to Nigeria.

Match preview

Tanzania started their AFCON campaign in an unimpressive fashion, losing 2-1 to Nigeria, but that did not come as a surprise considering the calibre of opponents in front of them.

That defeat meant that if they were to keep alive hopes of making it through to the round of 16 for the first time in their history, they had to respond in their following game against Uganda.

Now, the Taifa Stars are back in the running for automatic qualification in the group, having earned a 1-1 draw against the Cranes, leaving them third in the group with a point after two matches.

That result means that they are in control of their destiny, and a victory against Tunisia on Tuesday should see them book their place in the round of 16 for the first time in their history.

Nevertheless, Hemed Suleiman will be well aware that Tuesday’s opponents will pose a tough challenge, and having gone nine matches without a win, they will have to play their socks off to emerge victorious.

Tunisia have enjoyed a much better run of form, with the 3-2 loss to Nigeria in their last outing only the second defeat in 11 fixtures (W6, D3) across all competitions.

However, that result is flattering for them, considering they were dominated by Nigeria for most of the encounter, who established a 3-0 lead before the Carthage Eagles put up a late resurgence to keep the scoreline respectable.

Nevertheless, advancement to the next round is straightforward for Sami Trabelsi’s team, with a win required to book their place in the round of 16.

Their failure to progress beyond the group phase of the 2023 edition of the competition will still be fresh in their memories, and they will be out to make amends for that.

While the Carthage Eagles are the favourites, they are prone to mistakes at the back, and that explains the reason they have only been able to keep one clean sheet in their last nine encounters.

Tanzania Africa Cup of Nations form:

Tanzania form (all competitions):

Tunisia Africa Cup of Nations form:

Tunisia form (all competitions):

Team News

Despite a poor outing against Nigeria in their second group game, wholesale changes from Slimane are unlikely to be seen in their next game.

Aymen Dahmen was beaten three times by the Nigerian attackers, but he remains the undisputed number one for the North Africans.

Hannibal Mejbri was one of the few players who held their heads high in that rudderless performance, recording an assist for the first of their two goals, and he should be one of the first names in the starting XI.

Tunisia could be missing the services of Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, who substituted in their last match after picking up an injury.

Tanzania may approach this encounter with a defensive mindset, and that could necessitate a change in formation from the manager of the Taifa Stars.

Suleiman might opt to start five players in the middle of the park to stifle the Tunisians, with the likes of Simon Msuva, Novatus Miroshi, Salum Feisal, Tarryn Allarakhia and Alphonce Msanga lining up in midfield.

Up top, Sweden-based Kelvin John is likely to have the responsibility of being the lone man up front against the more illustrious Tunisians.

Tanzania possible starting lineup:

Foba; Hussein, Hamad, Nwamnyeto, Mnoga; Msuva, Msanga, Salum, Miroshi, Allarakhia; John

Tunisia possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Valery, Bronn, Talbi, Abdi; Sassi, Mejbri, Skhiri; Achouri, Mastouri, Tounekti

We say: Tanzania 0-2 Tunisia

Tanzania are more than likely to approach this match conservatively, looking to hit the Carthage Eagles on the break. However, they are going to have a long day at the office with what could be a torrent of Tunisian attacks.

Additionally, the difference in quality could play a part in this encounter, and it is hard to predict any outcome other than a 2-0 win for Tunisia.

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