Our prediction for this Africa Cup of Nations 2024 match:
Tunisia
Match Time & Date:
16/01/2024
12:00 PM
Prediction: 1-0
Namibia
Tunisia will look to kick off their 2024 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in style when they take on Namibia at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. The Eagles of Carthage are seen as favourites to win Group E, but they will have to showcase their worth on the field. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Bundesliga ace Ellyes Skhiri, who set a record for the most distance covered by a single player in the German top flight.
The Brave Warriors, on the other hand, played out a goalless draw with Ghana in their last warm-up game. In each of the previous three meetings between Tunisia and Namibia the Eagles of Carthage emerged triumphant and we predict that history is going to repeat itself. A player to watch in the away team will be Peter Shalulile, who has netted 16 goals in 49 appearances for the Namibia national team.
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.
Highlighted Team (Namibia):
Back in 1989 Namibia faced neighbouring country Angola in their first ever international game. Namibia made their international debut under the name of South-West Africa, with the team losing to the Palancas Negras 1-0.
On March 21, 1990 Namibia declared independence from South Africa and only two days later they suffered a 5-1 loss to Zimbabwe in their first game as an independent country. The Brave Warriors have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals, but in 2019 they will take part at the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time in the national team’s history.
Namibia are well known for their blue home kit, whilst they wear white jerseys and white shorts when playing on the travels. The Brave Warriors registered their biggest win against Benin (8-2) on July 15, 2000, with the team suffering their heaviest loss to Egypt (2-8) one year later (July 13, 2001). Namibia are affiliated to the CAF – Confederation of African Football.
