Guinea will get their AFCON campaign underway when they face Malawi on Monday.
Venue: Kouekong Stadium (Bafoussam)
Key Statistics
Guinea have won just one of their last eight games (D4, L3).
They failed to score in three of their last four games.
Malawi failed to score in three of their last four games.
They have kept just one clean sheet in their last eleven competitive games.
Head to head
In six head-to-head meetings between both sides, Guinea have the advantage. The West African country have won three times against Malawi, who have just one win (D2) against them.
Latest Performances in all competitions
Guinea: W-L-L-D-L
Malawi: L-L-L-W-L
Guinea
Guinea will play their first game in Cameroon on the back of a 2-0 win over Rwanda. The win ended a run of seven games without a win for the 1976 AFCON finalist who are currently ranked 15th in Africa.
The West African side have been put in a tough group with the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) runners-up Senegal. Beginning their campaign with a win against Malawi will help ease any nerves and give them much needed confidence.
The ‘National Elephants’ have qualified for the continental competition every other season for the past six editions. But they were knocked out of the last edition of the tournament in the round of 16 after losing 3-0 to eventual winners Algeria. They are billed to host the next edition of the tournament in 2025 and will be targeting a strong performance this time around.
Possible Guinea starting line-ups
Aly Keita; Mohamed Camara, Saidou Sow, Ibrahima Conte, Issiaga Sylla; Amadou Diawara, Ibrahima Cisse, Naby Keita; Aguibou Camara; Mohamed Bayo, Jose Kante.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Malawi
Malawi booked their place in this round of the African Cup of Nations by finishing second in their group.
The South-Eastern African side finished two points behind Burkina Faso in their group and two ahead of Uganda, who they defeated 1-0 win in their final qualification game thanks to a Richard Mbulu goal in the 15th minute.
‘The Flames’ are participating in the tournament for just the third time in their history. This campaign is their appearance since 2010.
However, they finished bottom of their group in both previous appearances and will be desperate to pull off a better performance this time around.
Meanwhile, they come into this tie on a poor run of form, with five defeats from six World Cup Qualification games coming into this clash.
Possible Malawi starting line-ups
Ernest Kakhobwe; Stanley Sanudi, Limbikani Mvaza, Peter Cholopi, Gomezgani Chirwa; Robin Ngalande, Chimwenwe Idana, Peter Banda, Mike Mkwate, Gabadinho Mhango; Khuda Muyaba.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Unvaialble (COVID-19): Charles Petro, Mark Fodya
Suspended: None
Prediction
Guinea 2-1 Malawi
