The intense rivalry in Group I is highlighted by Monday’s dramatic match between Madagascar and Mali at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium.
The top-ranked team faces the possibility of dropping to second place when they play the West African nation, while the Eagles, who are in fourth place, are eager to win their second World Cup qualifying match.
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Preview of the match
Few would have predicted that Madagascar would lead Group I after three matchdays, but Romuald Rakotondrabe’s team is operating in that reality.
Barea rebounded magnificently to win against Chad and Comoros, scoring three goals in the former match and defeating their recent opponents 2-1, despite losing to Ghana in their opening qualifier.
The last time around, Rayan Raveloson saved the day by scoring a brace to lead Auxerre to victory with six of a possible nine points.
Though Madagascar is level with Comoros and Ghana on six points, with Monday’s opponents two behind Barea, the rivalry is still fierce in that category.
Even with Ghana playing host to the Central African Republic (four points) and Comoros travelling to Chad (zero points) in Morocco, the current Group I leaders might still drop to the bottom.
Mali is eager to move up the standings and challenge for the top spot, so they can’t afford to lose any ground to CAR in their meeting at Soccer City for round four.
Les Aigles must, however, bounce back from their recent stumbles in qualifying, which prevented them from building on their opening victory over Chad in Bamako.
After that 3-1 victory in November 2023, they drew 1-1 at home with the Central African Republic and then suffered a depressing home loss to Ghana their previous game.
It will hurt for a long time to lose to the Black Stars because, while Jordan Ayew scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Eric Chelle’s team lost two goals in the second half to Ernest Nuamah and Kamory Doumbia.
The Eagles have only won four of their nine games at home, which leaves much to be desired. They will look to correct their early mistakes against Madagascar on Monday after winning their first three qualifying matches in Bamako.
Africa’s Madagascar World Cup Qualifying form: L
W
W
Madagascar format (for all contests): W
L
W
W
L
W
Africa’s Mali World Cup Qualifying Team: W
D
L
Mali form (in all contests): D
W
L
W
W
L
Despite not having played competitively since December, Njiva Rakotoharimalala, the hero of Madagascar’s victory against Chad in November of last year, is not included in the team.
Since Barea didn’t appear to be hurt against Comoros, the game-winning Raveloson should get the start against Mali in round four.
As evidenced by the manager’s early replacements against Ghana, Chelle might be looking for something different from his team on Monday.
Having only started the Atalanta BC forward in the second half of the previous game, the Mali coach could begin Atalanta’s El Bilal Toure right away.
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Prediction and Betting Advice for Madagascar vs. Mali on June 11, 2024
Possible starting lineup for Madagascar: Laiton; Fontaine, Couturier, Amada, Fortun; Raveloson; Abdallah, Lapoussin; Rabemananjara, Demoleon, Andria
Possible starting lineups for Mali include Samassa, Toure, Sinayoko, Sagnan, Coulibaly, Haidara, Doumbia, and Sacko, Niakate, Camara, and Guindo.
We declare: Mali 1-1 Madagascar
Mali has battled for consistency in performances and outcomes this time around, after being strong in World Cup qualification for the 2022 tournaments before ultimately losing to Tunisia. Madagascar, who have scored five goals in their past two qualifying matches, should be pleased with that.
Although the hosts should easily win, the Eagles stand to gain from not having to play under pressure in Johannesburg, where they might even steal a draw on Monday afternoon.
