Mali vs Senegal match preview
Mali coach Tom Saintfiet has no intention of changing his conservative attitude when he faces Senegal tomorrow in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations.
Saintfiet’s team has not yet won a game in Morocco, but has still managed to qualify for the round of 16.
Three draws in the group stage were followed by a penalty shootout victory over Tunisia on Saturday. Even then they had to do it the hard way, playing for 64 minutes of regulation time, and then the extra 30 minutes, with just 10 men after defender Woyo Coulibaly was sent off.
A clash against Senegal is another hugely difficult task and Les Aigles will not stray from the playbook that has helped them reach this stage.
Saintfiet said today: “We haven’t created many scoring opportunities, but we have played with discipline and we won’t change our approach much. We have players with good skill and a very good mentality.”
Senegal have scored 10 goals in their four games and Saintfiet says his team is facing the strongest team in the tournament, adding: “The eight teams that have qualified for the quarterfinals are all the big footballing countries in Africa, but I think they are playing better.
“The only team they lost against in recent years was Brazil, they even beat England. They are a stable team but also very strong, they score easily, they don’t give up much and they are very dangerous.
“But we are also a good team. We haven’t lost in this tournament and we played well against Morocco and Tunisia, two countries that qualified for the World Cup.”
Senegal have plenty of talent with a hat-trick of Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr and Nicolas Jackson, but coach Pape Thiaw was able to call on another potential star in the round of 16 win over Sudan, 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye.
The Paris Saint-Germain youngster came into play with 16 minutes left and scored his team’s last goal in a 3-1 victory. It was the latest in a series of eye-catching performances that earned him praise from Thiaw, who said: “It is an opportunity to have a young player like Ibrahim who is showing great promise, who is winning titles at 17 years old.
“He is a gem and we need to look after him. We know what he can bring to this team and we will do everything we can to make sure he thrives and is at his best.”
Team news for Mali v Senegal
Woyo Coulibaly is suspended by Mali, while Lassana Coulibaly suffers a knock and is unlikely to play any role.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has returned from suspension and will return to the starting lineup. Thiaw has to choose between Sarr, Mbaye and Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye in attack.
Lineups planned for Mali-Senegal
Mali: Diarra; Dante, Cámara, Diaby, Traoré; Dieng, Bissouma; Sissoko, Doumbia, Sangaré; Sinayoko
Senegal: Mendy; Jakobs, Niakhate, Koulibaly, Diatta; P. Gueye, I. Gueye, Diarra; Mane, Jackson, Sarr
How to watch Mali v Senegal: TV and online streams
Kick-off on Friday is at 4pm UK time. In the UK, live coverage of AFCON 2025 is on channels 4seven, All 4 and YouTube channel 4. In the US, beIN Sports is the tournament’s broadcaster.
Online live streaming is available on a wide range of devices via Channel 4 website. and the beIN Sports app and app.
Statistics for Mali v Senegal
- Mali and Senegal have met 40 times before. Senegal leads head-to-head matches with 19 wins to Mali’s eight, while 13 matches ended in draws.
- Senegal is undefeated in its last 13 matches against Mali, recording six wins and seven draws.
- Mali’s last victory over Senegal came in a friendly match in 1997, 2-1 in Dakar.
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