The second round of the World Cup qualifiers ends this Tuesday with ten upcoming matches, including three decisive ones on the continent.
By Ibrahima Dione
It’s a fight to the death!
Six teams, which are neck and neck, are taking on each other for the ticket to the next round of qualifiers.
Algeria host Burkina Faso.
The Fennecs have 13 points, leading Group A.
Hot on the trails of the African champions are the Stallions who are two points behind.
Held to a 1-1 draw by minnows Niger last Friday, Burkina Faso will feel cornered.
For Kamou Malo’s men, victory is imperative while a draw would be enough to make the Algerians happy, as they have had a clean sheet in 32 consecutive matches.
In Group C, Cape Verde are looking to better Nigeria.
The Super Eagles are ahead with 12 points, two more than the Blue Sharks.
At home, Gernot Rohr’s team only need a share of the points to continue their dream march to Qatar.
Cape Verde therefore are looking to redeem their chances for the World Cup.
The match with all the pre-match hype of a final features football powerhouses Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire.
Only one point separates the Elephants from the Indomitable Lions.
To make up its ticket, Cameroon, the host country for the next Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON 2021) must absolutelyexact revenge on the Ivorians who beat them, 2-1, in the first leg match on September 6.
Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea, co-leaders of Group B, will play Zambia and Mauritania respectively.
However, Tunisia has a slight lead with a better goal difference (+7 against +1).
In addition to these matches, Libya, Mozambique and Liberia are respectively against Angola, Malawi and the Central African Republic.
In addition, two teams already qualified, namely Morocco and Egypt, will try to close their campaign on a high when they host Guinea and Gabon respectively.
Senegal, Mali, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the other countries into the final phase of the qualifiers.
After this final round of group games, the ten most successful teams will challenge each other to determine Africa’s five representatives to the world’s biggest football showpiece.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will, on December 18, 2021, draw the lots for the two-legged ties taking into account the rankings of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
The next World Cup takes place from November 21 to December 18, 2022 in Qatar.
Tuesday’s fixtures are as follows:
13 hours UTC: Libya vs Angola, Mozambique vs Malawi, Egypt vs Gabon.
16 hours GMT: Nigeria vs Cape Verde, Liberia vs Central African Republic, Algeria vs Burkina Faso.
7 pm GMT: Tunisia vs Zambia, Mauritania vs Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon vs Ivory Coast, Morocco vs Guinea.
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