Mali vs Ghana Prediction: The Eagles will not spare their uninspiring opponent

On Thursday, the Eagles will square off against Ghana at the Stade 26 Mars Stadium. Mali, who had a decent outing in the just concluded AFCON Tournament, will host the Black Stars of Ghana in an attempt to win the group.

FIFA World ranking: 44th

Last five games: DWLWW

The Eagles have been up and running since the tournament began; they have won once and drawn a game. Their opening match ended in a (3-1) victory over Chad while they settled for a stalemate against Central Africa. Mali have really given their best performance in both games as they have conceded after taking the lead against their two opponents in this competition.

However, they kept it clean against Mauritania and Nigeria in their friendly game, winning by (2-0) apiece. Mali have garnered ten points from a possible fifteen and have scored seven while conceding three in recent games. 

FIFA Ranking: 68th

Last five games: LDDLD

The star-studded Black Stars failed to impress again as they settled for another share of the spoils against Uganda in a friendly game. In the FIFA Qualifying Round, Ghana have won once and lost a game. It has been a disastrous performance by one of the best teams in the continental. 

Ghana have lost three and drawn four over their previous seven games in all competitions. Otto Addo started his campaign poorly, and he’ll be keen to prove himself against a well-organized Malian team. 

Over their previous nine meetings, the Eagles have won three, while Ghana have recorded four wins and two games ending in a tie. Mali have been pretty solid in recent years; they are a possession-based team. The Eagles are blessed with decent midfield presence and that’s where they always knock down their opponents. The trio of Amadou Haidara, Mohammed Kamara and Lasana Coulibaly are impeccable. At the same time, Ghana have lacked cohesion over the years despite being a star-studded team. They march here without a win in seven consecutive matches. Ghana welcomes Thomas Partey, who has been out for the Black Stars since their (4-0) defeat against USA. The Arsenal midfielder and the team captain will partner with Edmund Addo in the hearts of the team. Moreover, Kudus, Semenyo and Abdul Fatawu will start upfront in a must-win game. 

Mali, who are one of the best-ranked African teams, will be poised to win this encounter just to keep their home record intact; bet on a home win or draw and over 1.5 goals for 1.82.

We can’t trust the guests who have not been playing as a team lately; however, they might surely get a goal here; bet on BTTS for 2.06.

The hosts will not lose this game and we expect them to get a halftime victory for 2.71.

Good luck!