Mali will battle it out with Tunisia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification third-round, first-leg match at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako on Friday.
Kick-off is at 18h00 GMT.
The Eagles of Mali eased into this stage of qualifying after finishing at the top of Group E, having won five out of their six matches while the other one game ended in a draw.
Mali , who have never qualified to the World Cup,will be determined to have another done after beating Tunisia 1-0 in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals match in Cameroon.
They saw their Nations Cup dreams come to an end in the quarter-finals on January 26, when they suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat to Equatorial Guinea.
Mohamed Magassouba’s side have become one of most feared African side in recent years thanks to some exciting players plying their trade with top clubs in the world.
Norway-based Ibrahima Kone, who was Eagles top scorer in second-round qualifying, and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure will be the men to watch in Mali side.
The Eagles come into the match unbeaten in 90 minutes in each of their last 11 competitive games across all competitions, claiming eight wins and three draws while conceding just once since a 1-0 loss against Guinea in the AFCON qualifiers back in March 2021.
Meanwhile, Tunisia made to the play-offs after finishing at the top of group B – winning their last group game against Zambia in order to secure a spot in the next stage.
The Carthage Eagles has the experience of the World Cup with five appearances after playing in the tournaments of 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2018.
Jalel Kadri’s side come into the match off the back of a quarter-final exit from the Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of a 1-0 loss to Burkina Faso on January 29.
The North Africans recent record shows that they lost two of their most recent three outings, with a 1-0 win over Nigeria in the AFCON last 16 being the exception, while they have lost four of their last six across all competitions.
This will be 14th meeting between the two sides, with Tunisia having won six matches compared to the Eagles’ five victories while one game ended in a stalemate.
