Central African Republic vs Lesotho Prediction: Both teams will be pleased with a point apiece

Central African Republic will be geared to make the cut for the forthcoming AFCON tournament for the first time in their history when they kick off their campaign against Lesotho at the Stade El Abdi Stadium on Thursday. The game, which will be played on a neutral ground, promises to be intriguing as both teams fight for their first three points in the group. 

FIFA Ranking: 128th

Last five games: DWWWL

Raoul Savoy's men's four-game unbeaten run ended with a disappointing defeat against Ghana. Central African Republic, who went toe to toe with the Ghanaian team, were denied points in a seven-goal thriller on the road. Before then, they had won against Chad, Papua New Guinea, and Bhutan. All these victories were actually against a lowly-ranked country. However, they have performed well and played like a team in recent games. 

Central African Republic are the second lowest-rated side in this group, and they’ll be out to prove themselves against the likes of Morocco and Gabon.

FIFA Ranking: 149th

Last five matches: DWLWL

The Crocodiles haven't qualified for the AFCON and World Cup in their history. They head into this game at the back of two defeats in seven games unbeaten. More recently, they surrendered to a (0-1) defeat on their ground against Rwanda in the FIFA World Cup qualifier. Even though they have no known superstars in their ranks, Lesotho have played like a team over the years. 

They are currently ranked 149th according to FIFA, and they have earned seven points out of a possible fifteen in the last five games.

The Central African Republic have been up and running lately, losing just once in five games. Following their decent performance against Ghana, they’ll be keen to maintain such momentum when they face off against their opponent. On the opposing end, Lesotho have not been bad lately as they have stood their ground against top sides in the ongoing FIFA World Cup campaign. Lesotho have drawn both Benin and Nigeria while defeating Zimbabwe away from home. 

We think both teams stand an equal chance here, and we believe a share of the spoils might surface.

Since this game will be played in Morocco, we think both teams will likely get a goal apiece here.

Considering their decent performance against Ghana, the hosts are the closest to securing the maximum points.

Good luck!