Niger vs Madagascar Prediction: A close 3rd place contest expected

Niger and Madagascar will square off against one another on Friday in the third-place match of the final round of matches for the 2023 African Nations Championship. Both teams are vying for a spot on the podium. Both Niger and Madagascar were eliminated from the competition after losing their respective semifinal matches. Tournament host Algeria defeated Niger, while Senegal eliminated Madagascar.

Niger was eliminated from the final round of this tournament after Algeria defeated them 5-0. After the first half, goals from Ayoub Abdellaoui, Aymen Mahious, and an own goal scored by Katakore Boureima gave the team of Harouna Doula a mountain to climb. Soufiane Bayazid's goal in the second half was the frosting on the cake. That was the Dama Gazelle's second loss in as many games since the start of the year, and it was also the team's worst loss since November 2021. The Dama Gazelles have now lost two of their last five. Niger's overall performance in this year's African Nations Championship is already better than their previous best; therefore, the country's goal is to win one more trophy to add to their collection.

At the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Tuesday, Madagascar's Barea were defeated by Senegal's Lions of Teranga by a score of 1-0, which brought an end to Madagascar's run in the CHAN. Just under five minutes into the competition, Pape Diallo found the back of the net, and that was all that was needed to put Romuald Rakotondrabe's men to the sword. As a direct result of this, Barea have now seen their unbeaten streak of 10 matches across all competitions come to an end. During this stretch, the team had a record of seven victories and three draws. Following that, they will have the difficulty of competing against an opponent squad that has failed to prevail in either of the two previous contests between these two teams before Friday's game. Madagascar will be eager to bounce back to winning ways and finish off what has been a fine CHAN outing in what is slated to be their final outing before the AFCON qualifiers take center stage.

Niger was on the receiving end of a demoralizing loss in their most recent match, so it is unknown how low their morale will be going into this contest. Madagascar, on the other hand, was able to walk away from their semi-final match with their heads held high, and it appears that they will go on to win this round.