quarterfinalist and finalist of the previous African Cup of Nations. Both teams suffered defeats at the hands of the Ivory Coast national team in their respective stages.
The Mali national team has not lost in 14 out of 15 matches. The new football season started with a victory over the Mauritania national team (2-0). Moreover, Mali has won 6 out of 7 home matches.
The Nigeria national team has been scoring in eight consecutive matches. In the recent match, they defeated the Ghana national team (2-1). On average, this team scores 1.7 goals per game.