An early first-place showdown in Group H of CAF World Cup qualifying is set to take place on Tuesday at Bingu National Stadium as Malawi hosts Tunisia.
Both teams started the qualification cycle positively, with Malawi securing a 1-0 victory over Liberia, while the Tunisians won 4-0 at home against Sao Tome and Principe.
Match preview
In a second consecutive encounter, the Malawians rescued themselves in the latter stages, scoring in the 78th minute on Friday and securing their first opening match win in a qualification cycle since 2010. Under caretaker manager Patrick Mabedi, Malawi has remained unbeaten in normal time since June, posting six clean sheets in nine matches and showcasing defensive organization.
While Malawi has struggled to secure a win at Bingu National Stadium for over a year, the team has never lost in three previous home fixtures against Tunisia. Tunisia, on the other hand, has not suffered a home defeat in a World Cup qualification fixture since June 2008. The Tunisian team is eager to qualify for a third successive finals and aims to build on their victory on matchday one after a two-game losing run.
Team News
Three new faces entered the Malawi starting 11 on matchday one of World Cup qualifying. Chimwemwe Idana, John Banda, and Olson Kanjira replaced Peter Banda, Chawanagwa Kawonga, and Richard Mbulu. Substitute Chifundo Mphasi made an impact, scoring 11 minutes after coming on for Robert Saizi. Brighton Munthali earned a clean sheet.
Tunisia made six changes to the side that lost to Japan last month when they defeated Sao Tome and Principe. Yassine Meriah, Montassar Talbi, Ali Abdi, Ellyes Skhiri, and Aissa Laidouni retained their places in the starting 11. Youssef Msakni scored his 21st international goal, moving ahead of Adel Sellimi for fourth all-time. Other goals came from Meriah, Hamza Rafia, and Firas Ben Larbi, with Bechir Ben Said securing a clean sheet.
Kickoff Time
The match is scheduled to kick off at 13:00 GMT (1:00 PM).
Prediction
Malawi 0-1 Tunisia
