The Lions of Teranga are unbeaten within the competitors up to now, having swept previous all however one in every of their opponents with relative ease.
That blip on their in any other case good file got here within the group stage, in a 1-1 draw with the DR Congo, the place Sadio Mane rescued some extent for the Senegalese after Cedric Bakambu’s opener simply after the hour.
Pape Thiaw’s facet have conceded simply two objectives within the match, with the second coming in the latest outing towards Sudan, the place they have been dealt an early scare.
Aamir Abdallah opened the scoring inside six minutes in Tangiers to set Sudan on their strategy to an enormous upset, however any hope of that was rapidly dashed earlier than the break as Pape Gueye netted a brace. Ibrahim Mbaye completed the sport off with 77 minutes performed.
Victorious: Mali
AFP through Getty Photographs
Mali, in the meantime, had been with out star man and Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma at first of AFCON, however he returned on boxing day within the draw with hosts Morocco.
Tom Saintfiet’s facet drew all three video games within the group stage, ending as runners-up in Group A behind Morocco.
They then wanted penalties to beat Tunisia within the final 16.
The Malians have had a person despatched off of their final two video games, with Lens midfielder Amadou Haidara dismissed towards Comoros and Woyo Coulibaly, the previous Leicester full-back, given his marching orders towards Tunisia.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Mali vs Senegal is scheduled for a 4pm GMT kick-off tonight, Friday, January 9, 2026.
The match will happen on the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier.
The place to observe Mali vs Senegal
TV channel: Each match of the match might be broadcast throughout Channel 4’s community.
The sport might be broadcast on E4, with protection beginning at 3.30pm GMT.
Dwell stream: UK viewers will be capable of stream video games on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube or Channel 4’s official web site and app.
Mali vs Senegal group information
For Mali, Gaoussou Diarra is out injured with an ankle sprain, whereas Woyo Coulibaly might be suspended after his purple card towards Tunisia.
Haidara may come again into the facet after sitting out the final 16 win together with his personal suspension.
In any other case, Saintfiet has a full complement to select from.
For Thiaw’s Senegal, Kalidou Koulibaly was suspended for the victory over Sudan after he noticed purple towards Benin, however he must be again in rivalry to start out right here.
Man of the second: Pape Gueye
REUTERS
Winger Assane Diao was pressured to withdraw from the squad simply earlier than the match with a muscle damage he sustained enjoying for Como towards Roma.
In addition to from Koulibaly’s return, the Lions are in good condition to tackle their tough opponents in Tangiers, boasting one of the vital star-studded squads on the match.
Mane is their star man off the left, and so they have Bayern Munich striker Nicolas Jackson up high.
Former Chelsea man Edouard Mendy retains purpose for Thiaw’s facet.
Mali vs Senegal prediction
Whereas Mali are a plucky group that may present cussed resistance, you would need to anticipate Senegal’s stars to energy by way of into the semis right here.
Koulibaly’s return on the again solely strengthens them, and he has fashioned a strong partnership with former Nottingham Forest man Mosusa Niakhate at centre-half.
Face to face (h2h) historical past and outcomes
Mali vs Senegal match odds
Odds through Betfair (topic to alter).
