Angola Vs Mali Match Preview

Like every host nation’s dream, Angola’s wish will be to kick start the competition off with three points in their bag.

Form

Since the appointment of Manuel Jose in May 2009, The Black Antelopes have experienced a bad run of form with only two wins in ten matches and a goal per match ratio of less than one. The lack of scoring frequency has restricted Angola to too many draws, the last of which came on January 3rd in a friendly against the Gambia ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Angola’s statistics are far from being impressive but they are perhaps not worse than Mali’s. After ending their qualification campaign with a 2-2 draw away to Ghana back in November, Mali had the opportunity to test their strengths and weakness with four friendly games. The Eagles experienced mixed results but only one victory out these matches and in their last match, Mali went down 1-0 against Egypt in the final preparation fixture ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Team News

As the tournament’s hosts, Angola will try and build on extreme home support to see out the Malians on the opening day of the 2010 ANC but that’s if their players are fit. Angola’s Portuguese boss Manuel Jose has insisted that all of his players will be fit for the tournament opener against Mali but several players are doubts. Flávio Amado and Stélvio are both doubts after their respective injuries. Stelvio received a knock last December in Angola’s defeat to Estonia while Flavio just sustained an injury against the Gambia earlier this month. For Manuel Jose, it is a priority to have the likes of these two players available for Sunday’s 2010 Africa Cup of Nations opener. The Portuguese coach stated:

“I really hope that Flavio recovers and becomes available to play against Mali. Flavio and Stelvio are important for our starting line-up.”

Likely Line Ups

Angola: TBC

Mali: TBC