Burundi vs Malawi Prediction: Burundi will secure a hard-fought victory

Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny will be the venue for round five of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Burundi and Malawi. Both teams are seated in the last two spots of Group A. Will there be a winner despite the two teams' impossibility of making it to the main tournament? 

Burundi are coming off a qualifier two-legged encounter between Somalia in the African Nations Champions. In games that ended in walkover 3-0 identical scores, the home team will hope to find success in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. The last time this team played in this qualifier, Burundi lost to Burkina Faso at home, extending their defeat to three in their last five matches. In the qualifier, Burundi scored three goals while conceding nine, leaving them seated third in Group L. 

Malawi lost to Senegal the previous time out in the Africa Cup of Nations, an encounter that ended 0-1. In that game, Sadio Mane's last-minute strike was enough to seal a win for their opponent. However, Malawi have faced defeat in each of their last five matches, struggling against Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, and Burkina Faso in that run. In nine matches, Malawi have one win, a 3-1 win over Sao Tome Principe in early June. 

Burundi are slightly better, and I will back them to take maximum points in this fixture. While Malawi have struggled consistently, I do not see them having a chance in this fixture, as they come in as slight underdogs while also being on the road. While this might be a close contest, we should expect a game with goals, just like their last meeting in September.