Ghana will play as visitors to Mali at the Stade du 26 Mars on Thursday, June 6, in Bamako in match-day three of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
The Eagles until the defeat against Cote D'Ivoire in the last AFCON, had not lost a game since March 2023- that was almost a year and are looking to serge on with that explosive form.
Having reached the quarter final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the Malians redeemed themselves with wins over Mauritania and Nigeria, all in international friendlies in March.
In the World Cup qualifiers, Mali are currently on the second position with 4 points, having won and drawn against Chad and Central African Republic all at home in their opening two matches.
On the other hand, the Black Stars have been in complete shambles in recent times having gone winless in their last seven matches- a very appalling run they will wish to halt coming into this herculean clash.
After suffering another group stage exit from the last AFCON, the Black lost 2-1 to Nigeria and played out a 2-2 stalemate with Uganda- in a game they were in front on two occasions.
The four-time African champions kicked off the qualifiers with a slim 1-0 win over Madagascar last November, before losing painfully against current Group I leaders Comoros- obviously a poor start they will wish to change and are now on the fifth position with just three points
HEAD TO HEAD
Ghana boast of five wins, while Mali have three from their last ten matches dating back to 2009, with the remaining two ending in a draw.
TEAM NEWS
Coach Éric Chelle has handed debut invites to Mamadou Camara and Salim Diakite ahead of these matches coming up having dropped Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma.
Coach Otto Addo having assumed the Black Stars head coach role on full time basis, announced his 26-man squad last Wednesday and the team have been camping since last week in order to have themselves adequately prepared for the game.
The major absentee is captain Andre Ayew- whom per reports has been informed he isn't part of the coach's plan anymore. With the return of Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey in the squad since October, he is expected to captain the team heading into these games.
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KICKOFF: 19:00GMT (7:00pm)
