Our prediction for this Africa Cup of Nations 2024 match:
After suffering a 1-0 loss to Mali in their opener, Tunisia will look to give fans something to cheer about when they take on Mauritania at Limbe Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles of Carthage were anything but impressive in the first group game, but the bookies see them as hot favourites to beat the Lions of Chinguetti. A man to watch in the home team will be captain Wahbi Khazri despite failing to convert a penalty in the defeat to Mali.
Mauritania, on the other hand, suffered a 1-0 loss to Gambia in the opening match of their AFCON 2021 campaign. When the two teams met at the FIFA Arab Cup in November Tunisia crushed Mauritania 5-1, and seeing that the Eagles of Carthage are desperate to make amends for the round 1 loss, we are tempted to put our money on the home side.
Highlighted Player (Ellyes Skhiri):
After spending his youth career at Montpellier, Ellyes Skhiri continued playing for la Paillade at senior level. In 2019 he moved to Bundesliga side Koln, signing a four-year contract with the Billy Goats. Shkiri was born in Lunel, France on May 10, 1995, but he has a dual citizenship as his parents are of Tunisia descent.
The Koln midfielder made debut with the Tunisian national team in a 1-0 win over Iran on March 23, 2018 and he represented Tunisia at the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia later that year. Ellyes Skhiri’s main position is defensive midfielder, but he is capable of producing fine performances at both right and centre back.
His preferred foot is right and he has a contract with Koln until June 30, 2026. The Tunisia international made his Bundesliga debut on August 17, 2019 in a 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg and he scored his first ever goal in the German top flight in a 2-1 win over Freiburg on August 31, 2019.