Our prediction for this Africa Cup of Nations 2024 match:
Madagascar
Match Time & Date:
18/06/2023
10:00 AM
Prediction: 1-2
Ghana
Ghana will look to seal their spot at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations finals when they take on Madagascar at Mahamasina Municipal Stadium. The Black Stars are leading the chase for automatic qualification in Group E, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. New boss Chris Hughton will count on experienced players Thomas Partey, Andrew Ayew, Daniel Amartey, and Jordan Ayew for Sunday’s clash, while defender Alexander Djiku has been ruled out with injury.
The Barea, on the other hand, have been struggling in the 2024 AFCON qualifiers, with the team collecting only one point in total in the process. Since Madagascar missed out on a spot at the next year’s showpiece tournament in Ivory Coast, we are tempted to put our money on the Group E leaders. Experienced midfielder Ibrahim Amada will be the one of the men to watch in the home team.
Highlighted Player (Andre Ayew):
Andre Ayew is Ghanaian footballer who plays for Premier League side West Ham United as a winger. Ayew played for Olympique Marseille from 2007 to 2015 and he scored 44 goals in 160 appearances for the Stade Velodrome outfit. He won two Coupe de la Ligue trophies with Marseille (2011, 2012), but he failed to clinch the Ligue 1 title with OM.
In 2015 Andre Ayew joined Swansea City on a free transfer and it has to be noted that he scored 12 goals in 34 league appearances for the South Wales outfit. At the end of the season the Ghanaian footballer signed a three-year deal with fellow Premier League team West Ham United for a club record fee of £20.5 million.
Andre Ayew won the FIFA under 20 world cup with Ghana and he participated in the Africa Cup of Nations final on two occasions with the Ghanaian national football team (2010, 2015). However, he failed to win the prestigious trophy with the Black Stars. His brother Jordan Ayew plays for Aston Villa as a striker.
Highlighted Team (Madagascar):
Nicknamed the Barea, Madagascar are the African national team that affiliates to CAF (Confederation of African Football). Madagascar made their debut on the international stage in 1947, with the team suffering a 2-1 loss to Mauritius in front of home fans.
The Barea wear green shirts and green shorts when playing at home, whilst their away colours are red and white. Madagascar have never participate at the FIFA World Cup finals, but in 2019 they qualified for their first ever Africa Cup of Nations.
The Barea were grouped with the likes of Nigeria, Burundi and Guinea, with the team making their debut at the tournament against the National Elephants. Speaking of Madagascar’s titles, the Barea did well to win two Indian Ocean Island Games (1990, 1993), with the team beating the likes of Mauritius and Reunion in the title games respectively. Madagascar are affiliated to both CAF (confederation) and COSAFA (sub-confederation).
