Bissouma returns as Mali eye strong Afcon showing
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Loading... - Nancie Murimi
- 07 Jan 2022
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Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma has made peace with Mali coach Mohamed Magassouba and is set to be a driving force behind the bid to go far at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon from Sunday.
He fell out of favour in 2018 and a shoulder injury prevented him being considered for the 2019 Cup of Nations in Egypt, where Mali made a disappointing last-16 exit.
While it would be stretching optimism to believe Mali can go all the way, they seem certain to secure a top-two finish in a Group F that also has one-time champions Tunisia, minnows Mauritania and debutants the Gambia.
The group winners and runners-up are assured of last-16 places while the best four third-placed teams from the six sections also qualify.
Mali
Mali have regularly punched above their weight, finishing second, third twice and fourth three times in 11 appearances.
While not among the favourites in Cameroon, a squad including Bissouma and Southampton forward Moussa Djenepo from the Premier League are certainly capable of reaching the quarter-finals.
In most of the six groups finishing first carries a huge advantage as the table-toppers then face a third-placed team in the round of 16.
Group F is different. The winners will likely face title-holders Algeria or the Ivory Coast while the runners-up would have a theoretically easier task against the Group B runners-up, possibly Guinea.
Tunisia
The Carthage Eagles hope a frustrating start to preparations is not a sign of things to come as the floodlights went out just minutes into a training session near Tunis and did not come back on.
Tunisia are an incredibly consistent team as they have now qualified for an unrivalled 15 consecutive Cup of Nations tournaments from 1994. Read More…
