The National Elephants of Guinea will look to douse Malawi’s Flames as both teams look to begin on strong footing by claiming victory in their opening match before taking on stronger opposition in the form of Zimbabwe and tournament favourites Senegal.
Africa Cup of Nations – Group B
Monday 10 January
Kouekong Stadium
18:00
To Win
Guinea 6/10 | Draw 23/10 | Malawi 46/10
Guinea
The entire squad were given strict instruction by Guinea’s soldier-turned-president, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya before leaving for Cameroon: “Bring back the trophy or bring back the money we invested in you”.
Personally, if I were a true supporter of the team, I’d be content with progression to the knockout stages considering coach Kaba Diawara hasn’t taken charge of a single competitive match and let the boys keep their hard-earned money instead of making these nonsensical and thuggish demands.
The country has been through a lot in recent years and football being the most beautiful game could provide some joy when Liverpool’s Naby Keita puts on his captain’s armband and proudly leads out his fellow warriors.
Guinea are a very difficult team to break down, only conceding five goals while scoring eight times from their six group-stage qualifiers where they finished second behind Mali in Group A.
However, two of the goals conceded were scored in a dead rubber by Namibian striker Peter Shalulile when Guinea had already secured qualification.
Ilaix Moriba, Mamadou Kane and Ousmana Kante tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks before the tournament and this could serve as a set-back to preparations.
Moriba is an exceptional player who graduated from Barcelona’s La Masia academy and started matches alongside Lionel Messi for the Catalans last season, winning the Copa Del Rey.
This season, Moriba has found it difficult to find regular playing time at a struggling RB Leipzig outfit in the German Bundesliga.
Malawi
Malawi edged out Uganda in dramatic fashion during the final round of matches to book their ticket to this showpiece tournament. The Flames won three games in qualification with Orlando Pirates forward Gabadinho Mhango getting the ball rolling before going winless in their next three matches.
Baroka FC striker Richard Mbulu then went on to inspire Malawi to a pair of 1-0 victories over South Sudan and ultimately Uganda to shatter the Cranes’ hopes at the home of Nyasa Big Bullets FC.
Another player to have featured in the South African PSL, Gerald Phiri Junior, has since joined Al-Hilal and will bring his experience to the fore, alongside midfielder Charles Petro who enjoyed Sheriff Tiraspol’s impressive fairy-tale story in their debut in the UEFA Champions League.
AmaZulu defender Limbikani Mzava was impressive in his previous performance which saw Benni McCarthy’s Durban outfit hand South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns their first league defeat of the season. Mzava will wear the armband for his nation after taking on his fellow countrymen Nyasa Big Bullets in CAF Champions League qualifiers earlier in the season.
Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals (6/10)
Guinea should have enough in the tank to open their tournament with a victory and are short-priced favourites to get the job done. A tight and cagey affair is expected so seeing as Under 2.5 Goals is also priced at 6/10, I feel safer placing my bet in this market.
