The qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations have entered the final week of a double block of fixtures, with a further 21 matches played from Tuesday 7 to Monday 13 June.
The headline fixtures on Tuesday see former Afcon champions Zambia looking to bounce back to winning form when they welcome Comoros in Lusaka, while reigning African kings Senegal will hope to continue their fine form when they host Rwanda in Dakar.
The Teranga Lions blitzed Benin 3-1 in their Group L opener on Saturday night. Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick of goals and coach Aliou Cisse has added his voice to those calling for the Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’Or.
“Of course we think about it [the player winning the award]. I believe that Sadio gave a lot, we must not minimise everything he did in Liverpool for seven years, what he did in the Senegal national team,” said Cisse.
“At some point, I want to know what place an African champion really takes on the choices [for the Ballon d'Or].He won the Afcon, he went to the Champions League final... I hope it weighs [in his favour].”
Wednesday’s feature clash sees Algeria given the chance to seize control of Group F when they face Tanzania in Dar es Salaam. The North African heavyweights defeated Uganda 2-0 this past weekend and will have at least a two-point advantage at the summit if they can also put on over the Taifa Stars.
“We were able to attack quietly without being afraid of being countered,” said Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi. “I salute my players. We remain angry about what happened in March [missing out on World Cup qualification to Cameroon]. Everyone had this desire to win.”
A busy Thursday sees Groups A and K finally get underway: in the former group, Guinea-Bissau will host Mauritius (who were recently reinstated at the expense of Sao Tome & Principe after an appeal with CAF) and Nigeria will tackle Sierra Leone in Abuja – with the Super Eagles looking to come out of a slump which has seen them exit the 2021 Afcon in the round of 16, lose out to hated rivals Ghana in World Cup qualification, and suffer defeats to Mexico and Ecuador in recent days.
“We've had two games under the new manager and this will help us in our upcoming qualifiers," captain William Troost-Ekong said of the team’s fresh chapter under new coach Jose Peseiro. "When you face South American teams the styles are obviously different and the team is mentally and physically tested in a very hard way. We can all come together for a better chapter for the country.”
Group K – which has been reduced to three teams due to Zimbabwe’s disqualification – will open with Morocco hosting South Africa in Rabat on Thursday night.
The Atlas Lions are clear favourites, but Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has called on his team to rise to the challenge: “We know the players and the team [Morocco] very well. But they are still a good team, although we have a plan. We will see if that plan will succeed come [Thursday night].
“We know what we have to do. And one thing that is important is to have the [right] mentality and confidence. When you go to Morocco with fear it is better that you stay right here at home.”
The qualification tournament takes a break over the weekend and then resumes on Monday 13 June with the Matchday 2 fixtures for Groups A and K, with Mauritius v Nigeria, Sierra Leone v Guinea-Bissau and Liberia v Morocco.
AFCON qualifiers, fixtures 7-13 June
*Indicates Matchday 1 fixtures; all others are Matchday 2. All times CAT.
Tuesday 7 June
3pm: Eswatini v Burkina Faso
6pm: Cape Verde v Togo
6pm: Zambia v Comoros
9pm: Senegal v Rwanda
Wednesday 8 June
3pm: Uganda v Niger
6pm: Congo v Gambia
6pm: Gabon v Mauritania
6pm: Tanzania v Algeria
9pm: Benin v Mozambique
9pm: Sudan v DR Congo
Thursday 9 June
2pm: Guinea-Bissau v Mauritius*
3pm: Burundi v Cameroon
3pm: South Sudan v Mali
6pm: Ethiopia v Egypt
6pm: Guinea v Malawi
6pm: Nigeria v Sierra Leone*
7pm: Lesotho v Ivory Coast
9pm: Morocco v South Africa*
Monday 13 June
3pm: Mauritius v Nigeria
6pm: Sierra Leone v Guinea-Bissau
9pm: Liberia v Morocco