Mali vs Egypt Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Mali managed to win their only warm up friendly ahead of the African Cup of Nations 2-1 against Burkina Faso last Saturday, with that result making it three wins, one draw, and one defeat from their last six matches in all competitions.

Their qualification campaign was actually very good though, with them dropping just two points in their six matches and topping the group by five points over Benin below them. To be fair they did have a rather easy group, but it was still an impressive display.

Mali aren’t quite there yet in terms of quality though. They have a number of potentially talented youngsters such as Youssouf Kone, Yvew Bissouma, Adama Traore, Lassana Coulibaly, and Moussa Doumbia, but none of them are over 22 years of age yet so they need some more time to develop.

Egypt have one major up and coming talent in Stoke midfielder Ramadan Sobhi, but they also have Mohamed Salah up front. The Roma striker notched five goals in qualifying and has scored 27 times in his 46 appearances for Egypt. He has also managed eight goals in Serie A this season, so backing him to score anytime at 13/8 looks the best choice for our goalscorer predictions.

Egypt, like their opponents, also managed to win their warm up friendly thanks to a 91st minute winner against Tunisia. This makes it three wins on the trot, and they have only lost one of their last ten in all competitions.

That form was enough to send them through to the African Cup of Nations top of the group, with ten points from their four games. This form is also why they are considered joint favourites for the group win alongside Ghana, although personally I fancy Egypt much more than Ghana based on their current records.

As far as the overall result in this match I think Egypt have the much better chance. The quality of their squad is greater than Mali’s and they have won seven of their last ten matches. Mali don’t have a poor record, but against stronger teams they have generally struggled. This shows in recent defeats to Congo DR, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast, and in November they only got a goalless draw at home to Gabon.

Odds of 11/10 for an Egypt win look good value for money here, so I’m backing that along with a 2-1 correct score predictions at 17/2.