Group I of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers comes to an exciting end on Saturday as Mauritania welcome Gabon to Stade Cheikha Ould Boidiya.
Both teams are still in with a chance of securing a place at the upcoming AFCON and this weekend's meeting has all the makings of an exciting contest.
Match preview
Mauritania eased past the challenge of Sudan courtesy of a comprehensive 3-0 victory when the teams went head to head at Stade Adrar on June 20.
Amir Abdou's men took the lead through Mohamed Nouh midway through the first half after which El Hassan Houbeib and Hemeya Tanjy netted in the second period to put the result beyond doubt.
That ended a run of three straight losses for the Lions of Chinguetti since they came out on top against Mali in the qualifiers for the African Nations Championship.
Lying in store next is the task of facing off against an opposing side with little to choose between the teams as the previous four meetings have yielded one win apiece and two stalemates.
Having recently suffered a first defeat on home turf in 2021, Saturday's hosts will be keen to secure an immediate return to winning ways in front of their fans.
Gabon saw their AFCON hopes dealt a further blow as they were on the receiving end of a 2-0 defeat against the Democratic Republic of Congo at Stade de Franceville on June 18.
Patrice Neveu's men trailed to an Aaron Tshibola strike 11 minutes shy of the interval after which Fiston Mayele sealed the deal in the final knockings of the clash.
With seven points from five matches, Les Pantheres sit third in their qualifying group, level on points with their next opponents ahead of what promises to be an enthralling affair.
Now in the last-chance saloon to book a place at next year's continental event, Saturday's visitors will need to put on a near-perfect performance once again away from home where they are currently unbeaten in three straight competitive matches.
Team News
Pape Ibnou Ba will be aiming to come up trumps once more having been on target for Mauritania in the most recent edition of Saturday's fixture.
Aboubakar Kamara has not featured for Olympiacos at club level since July and it is unlikely the 28-year-old plays any part in this weekend's affair.
Gabon's Denis Bouanga is expected to retain his place in the starting lineup having racked up 12 goals and six assists from his 24 league games this term.
Bruno Ecuele Manga is closing in on a century of international appearances and would be only the third man in history to reach that milestone for the away side.
Mauritania possible starting lineup:
Diaw; Abeid, Nouh, Houbeib, Keita; Tanjy, Fofana, Mouhsine; Anne, Mahmoud, Gassama
Gabon possible starting lineup:
Amonome; Palun, Appindangoye, Ndong, Ekomie; Allevinah, Lemina, Poko; Boupendza, Aubameyang, Bouanga
We say: Mauritania 1-1 Gabon
The stakes for Saturday's game could hardly be higher than they currently are and we are expecting an enthralling affair. That said, we can see the teams cancelling each other out and having to settle for a point apiece come the end of the 90 minutes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
