Sparks will fly as Cape Verde and Mauritania battle for a place in the quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024). Which of these teams will be left standing at the end of this match?
Cape Verde vs Mauritania overview
This Round of 16 game will be played on Monday January 29 at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan. Kick-off time is 6 pm WAT.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde have been one of the biggest surprise packages of AFCON 2024. They finished at the top of a group containing Seven-time Nations Cup champions Egypt and four-time champions Ghana.
Bubista's men will be eyeing a place in the last eight as they square off against Mauritania.
Mauritania
On the other hand, Mauritania advanced to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in history, after defeating Algeria in their final group game.
Can Amir Abdou's men make history once more by winning this match?
Cape Verde vs Mauritania head to head
The first encounter between these teams took place in February 1982, they'll be meeting for the 11th time on Monday.
In 10 previous skirmishes between these teams, Cape Verde have four wins. Three of their meetings ended in stalemates, while Mauritania came out on top on three occasions.
While this will be the first time these teams go head-to-head at the Nations Cup, they met twice in the qualifying rounds of AFCON 2004.
Mauritania won the most recent encounter between these teams in August 2019.
Cape Verde vs Mauritania potential lineups
Bubista fancies a 4-3-3 formation, and that's how Cape Verde are expected to line up for this match. AS Trencin's Vozinha should start between the sticks for the fourth consecutive game.
Meanwhile Mauritania's captain Mohamed Dellahi Yali is questionable for this game. He picked up an injury after scoring Mauritania's winning goal against Algeria.
Amir Abdou will likely use a 4-1-4-1 formation for this game, with Souleymane Anne being the lone forward.
On that note, these are our probable Cape Verde vs Mauritania lineups:
Cape Verde
Goalkeeper: Vozinha.
Defenders: Willy Semedo, Logan Costa, Diney
Borges, Dylan Tavares.
Midfielders: Kevin Pina, Ryan Mendes, Patrick
Andrade, Rocha Santos, Garry Rodrigues.
Forwards: Gilson Tavares.
Mauritania
Goalkeeper: Babacar Niasse.
Defenders: Ibrahima Keita, Hassan Houbeib, Lamine
Ba, Khadim Diaw.
Midfielders: Omare Gassama, Amar Bouna, Idrissa
Thiam, Bodda Mouhsine, Aboubakary Koita.
Forwards: Souleymane Anne.
Cape Verde vs Mauritania tactical analysis
Interestingly, although Cape Verde lost their last three friendly matches, they've been really solid in competitive fixtures, racking up a five-match unbeaten run.
Bubista's troops scored at least twice in each of their group matches, with a total of seven goals scored in the group stages. Conversely, they conceded three times.
In contrast, Mauritania's win against Algeria was their first since October last year. They had no wins in six prior games, with two draws and four losses.
While Abdou's men scored in their last two matches, they had failed to find the net in four consecutive games before that.
Cape Verde vs Mauritania prediction
Cape Verde went toe-to-toe with two of the most successful teams in the history of this tournament, they have perhaps been the most impressive team so far.
This is in contrast with Mauritania, who suffered two losses in three group games.
All things considered, our Cape Verde vs Mauritania prediction is a victory for Cape Verde.
Where to watch Cape Verde vs Mauritania live
AfroSport TV and Supersport will broadcast this match for fans who reside in Cape Verde. Meanwhile fans from Mauritania can catch all the action live on beIN Sports and Canal+.
