Namibia vs Mali Prediction: Eagles to clinch top spot in Group E

The final four fixtures of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage take place on Wednesday, with Group E first on the agenda as leaders Mali face Namibia at Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro (KO, 17:00).

The match takes place at the same time as South Africa against Tunisia, the other two sides in the group, with qualification still possible for all.

Mali are already guaranteed a top-three finish after beating South Africa 2-0 and drawing 1-1 with Tunisia, with four points enough to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Namibia, meanwhile, require a draw to be sure of taking their place in the knockouts for the first time in their history.

Team News

Petrus Shitembi and Absalom Limbondi were withdrawn at half-time of Namibia's 4-0 defeat to South Africa on Sunday, raising question marks over their inclusion in the next starting XI. Ngero Katua and Bethuel Muzeu were the duo's replacements against Bafana Bafana, and could earn starts on Wednesday.

Mali produced another solid performance against Tunisia and could name a similar line-up against Namibia as they go in search of the win they require to guarantee top spot.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma could return to the starting XI, though, after being restricted to a cameo appearance on Saturday, owing to the malaria he contracted in the build-up to the game.

Match Odds

Namibia are 5/1 to beat Mali for the first time in their history, with the draw at 5/2 and a victory for the Eagles priced at 8/15.

Both teams to score is available at 11/8 and it's the same price (11/8) for over 2.5 goals.

Mali to win and under 2.5 goals @ 9/5

South Africa can still leapfrog Mali into first with a win over Tunisia, so there's a lot riding on the Eagles' game against Namibia, with a draw not enough to guarantee their objective.

Therefore, Eric Chelle's side should be approaching this one professionally, and if they do, Namibia face a tough battle to get anything out of this game, given the gulf between the two squads.

The goals have been flowing at the 2023 AFCON but Mali's games haven't been quite so high-scoring, with two in each of theirs so far.

Namibia were thrashed 4-0 by South Africa in their last match but their six prior to that had all seen two goals or fewer.

A low-scoring loss might not be the end of the world for Namibia, who could still qualify as one of the best third-placed teams if South Africa avoid defeat and other results go their way.

Mali to win to nil @ 23/20

The Eagles have conceded just once so far this tournament, while Wednesday's opponents only have one goal to their name, and managed only four shots against South Africa last time out.

Scoring goals was an issue heading into Ivory Coast for Namibia, with the Brave Warriors drawing a blank in three of their previous five games.

With a lot on the line for Mali, they should have enough to keep Namibia at arms length.

Check out the rest of our AFCON Betting Tips here.