Ethiopia and Sierra Leone get the ball rolling in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers when they go head to head at the Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium on Wednesday.
Following their forgettable Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaigns, both sides will head into the group opener looking to begin their quest for a World Cup debut in 2026 on a winning note.
Match preview
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Ethiopia wrapped up another disappointing 2023 AFCON qualifying campaign on September 8 when they suffered a 1-0 loss against seven-time African champions Egypt.
Pyramids FC winger Mostafa Fathy grabbed the headlines at the 30 June Stadium as he netted the only goal of the game in the 37th minute to hand the Pharaohs all three points.
Prior to that, a brace from Shimelis Bekele inspired Ethiopia to a 2-0 friendly victory over Guyana on August 3, a result which brought their six-game winless run across all competitions to an end.
However, September's loss against Egypt meant that the Wali Ibex ended the AFCON qualifiers without a win in their final four matches, a run which saw them finish rooted to the bottom of Group D with four points from six matches.
Gebremedhin Haile's men have now gone seven competitive games on the bounce without a win, losing five and picking up two draws since a shock 2-0 victory over Egypt on June 9.
Ethiopia, who are currently 143rd in the latest FIFA World Rankings, will look to put their poor showing in the AFCON qualifiers behind them as they begin their quest for a first-ever appearance in the World Cup.
The East Africans came closest in 2014, when they finished as Group A winners with 13 points from six matches but their hopes were dashed in the last hurdle as they suffered a 4-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of Nigeria in the playoffs.
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Sierra Leone, on the other hand, returned to winning ways last time out as they edged out Somalia 2-0 when the two nations squared off in a friendly matchup at the Stade Municipal de Berrechid on October 14.
This followed a 1-1 draw against Benin, when Denmark-based striker Mohamed Buya Turay opened the scoring before Angers defender Cedric Hountondji struck in the ninth minute of stoppage time to force a share of the spoils.
Sierra Leone picked up just five points and finished third in Group A, eight points behind runners-up Guinea Bissau.
John Keister's side won just one of their six matches in their bid for a place in Ivory Coast — a 2-0 victory over rank-outsiders Sao Tome and Principe on March 26, while losing three and picking up two draws.
After failing to reach the group stages of the World Cup qualifiers in 2015 and 2019 courtesy of playoff defeats against Chad and Liberia respectively, Sierra Leone now make their first group-stage appearance since 2013, when they finished third in Group B.
Team News
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Newly-appointed manager Haile has named a 30-man squad for the qualifying games against Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso, with Bekele, Seid Habtamu and Kenean Markneh headlining the team.
After coming on against Egypt last time out, Bekele now has 81 senior caps under his belt, and the 33-year-old, who is the Wali Ibex's most-capped player, should come into the XI on Wednesday.
Sierra Leone have called up 24 players for their upcoming World Cup qualifying ties, including the likes of goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara, defender Emmanuel Samadiya and striker Mohamed Buya Turay.
Saidu Fofanah, who has one goal in 11 senior caps for the Leone Stars, should retain his role at the centre of the park, alongside Velez man Alusine Koroma and 24-year-old Abu Dumbuya.
Tyrese Fornah, Abdulai Jajue Kabia and Charlton Athletic FC man Daniel Kanu have all been handed their maiden call-ups to the Sierra Leone senior squad and will be looking to make their debuts.
Ethiopia possible starting lineup:
Kamara; Samadiya, Sesay, Bah, Kakay; Koroma, B Kamara; Koroma, Fornah, Bakayako; M Turay
Sierra Leone possible starting lineup:
Habtamu; Adugna, Tamene, Yigezu, Yesuf; Panom, S Bekele, Zeleke, Markneh; Gugsa, Yalew
We say: Ethiopia 2-1 Sierra Leone
Still licking their wounds from a poor AFCON qualifying campaign, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone will head into Wednesday in search of a morale-boosting result. Keister's men have lost four of their last five away matches across all competitions and we fancy them to struggle at the Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
