Tanzania and Tunisia will clash for the second automatic qualification spot in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations when they meet at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Tuesday.
The Taifa Stars enter this contest off the back of a 1-1 draw against neighbours Uganda, while their opponents will be looking to recover from a 3-2 loss to Nigeria.
That defeat meant that if they were to keep alive hopes of making it through to the round of 16 for the first time in their history, they had to respond in their following game against Uganda.
Now, the Taifa Stars are back in the running for automatic qualification in the group, having earned a 1-1 draw against the Cranes, leaving them third in the group with a point after two matches.
That result means that they are in control of their destiny, and a victory against Tunisia on Tuesday should see them book their place in the round of 16 for the first time in their history.
Nevertheless, Hemed Suleiman will be well aware that Tuesday’s opponents will pose a tough challenge, and having gone nine matches without a win, they will have to play their socks off to emerge victorious.
Tunisia have enjoyed a much better run of form, with the 3-2 loss to Nigeria in their last outing only the second defeat in 11 fixtures (W6, D3) across all competitions.
However, that result is flattering for them, considering they were dominated by Nigeria for most of the encounter, who established a 3-0 lead before the Carthage Eagles put up a late resurgence to keep the scoreline respectable.
Nevertheless, advancement to the next round is straightforward for Sami Trabeli’s team, with a win required to book their place in the round of 16.
Their failure to progress beyond the group phase of the 2023 edition of the competition will still be fresh in their memories, and they will be out to make amends for that.
While the Carthage Eagles are the favourites, they are prone to mistakes at the back, and that explains the reason they have only been able to keep one clean sheet in their last nine encounters.
Tanzania possible starting lineup:
Foba; Hussein, Hamad, Nwamnyeto, Mnoga; Msuva, Msanga, Salum, Miroshi, Allarakhia; John
Tunisia possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Valery, Bronn, Talbi, Abdi; Sassi, Mejbri, Skhiri; Achouri, Mastouri, Tounekti
