Malawi set for stern Senegal test

After two fruitless encounters in their opening 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, Malawi will now take on Senegal in their latest Group L assignment at Stade Me Abdoulaye on Friday night.

Kick-off is at 9:00pm (CAT, GMT+2)

CURRENT FORM

While the Lions of Teranga remain on course to qualify for the 2025 Afcon showpiece, the Flames have been unable to bring the heat in Group L after two matches played.

Senegal commenced their qualifying bid with a 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso on the 6th of September, before adding their name to the win column with a 1-0 victory over Burundi at the Bingu National Stadium on the 9th of September.

As it stands, Senegal sit in 2nd position in Group L, while Malawi sit at the bottom of the table following back-to-back defeats against Burundi and Burkina Faso respectively.

WHAT WAS SAID

Senegal talisman Sadio Mane recently expressed that the competitive nature of the Saudi Pro League will help the Lions of Teranga in years to come.

“We’re all in the Senegalese national team [Senegal stars playing in the Saudi Pro League],” Mané said.

“Of course, we sometimes talk about the league and many other things.

“It's a competitive league, so all the big players want to come, like Kalidou Koulibaly, Habib Diallo. They're all important players for our [national team] selection, so that they're here is also beneficial for the national team”.

The Malawi Football Association have revealed that their Mozambique-based contingent will also be traveling to Senegal ahead of Friday’s encounter.

“Mozambique based midfielders captain John Banda, Yamikani Chester, and Lloyd Njaliwa have left Addis Ababa Ethiopia for Dakar Senegal to join the Flames camp ahead Friday's 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Senegal,” the Malawi FA confirmed.

TEAM NEWS

Senegal have named a star-studded squad for their upcoming qualifiers which includes names such as Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Edouard Mendy. The Lions of Teranga will also be boosted with the presence of Ismail Jakobs, who recently made his way back from injury.

Malawi coach Patrick Mabedi assembled a 20-man squad for their next set of qualifiers, with goalkeeper Brighton Munthali returning to action after missing their last two fixtures owing to injury.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Senegal and Malawi have met on three occasions (all competitions) in the past, with the Lions of Teranga claiming two victories while one draw have been shared between the two nations.