Qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations continues to the second matchday on Sunday, when Eswatini host Mali in Group I at the Mbombela Stadium.
The home side last tasted victory back in March, whereas Mali come into Sunday's encounter with just one defeat from their last five outings.
Match preview
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Eswatini come into this game on the back of a 1-0 defeat away to Guinea-Bissau in their first AFCON qualifier, with Bura Nogueira grabbing the only goal of the game.
If their World Cup 2026 qualification form is anything to go by, it will be a tough ask to qualify for AFCON 2025 as Eswatini sit bottom of Group D with four defeats on the spin, and only four nations in Africa sit below their FIFA ranking of 158th.
Sihlangu Semnikati's COSAFA Cup form is no better either, having been eliminated from the group stage of the competition back in July following a 1-0 defeat against South Africa.
Eswatini are yet to qualify for the World Cup or AFCON finals in their history, and they will need to be at their best against Mali if they are to have any hope of picking up their first points in these upcoming qualifiers.
AFCON qualification will be the task of their new head coach Zdravko Logarusic, after the Croatian replaced the outgoing Dominic Kunene, whose four-year tenure as Eswatini's national team head coach ended in August.
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Mali on the other hand head into Sunday's match after a 1-1 draw at home against Mozambique, with Yves Bissouma salvaging a point after his side had fallen behind to a Geny Catamo strike.
Although this was not an ideal start for Mali, Les Aigles have only lost two of their last 17 games in a run that stretches back to June 2023, and they should be considered favourites to top Group I for the AFCON qualifiers.
Similar to Sunday's opponents though, their World Cup qualification form is in the balance as they currently sit fourth in the table; beneath Comoros, Ghana and Madagascar after four games played.
Mali's new head coach Tom Saintfiet replaced Eric Chelle in August, having resigned from his previous role as national team manager of the Philippines to take over this new position.
The vastly experienced Saintfiet has an extensive portfolio of managing teams on the African continent, having previously held head coach roles for Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo and Gambia; the latter being his most successful job as he guided Gambia to the quarter-finals of AFCON in 2021.
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Team News
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Logarusic has a fully-fit squad to pick from for Sunday's game, and he may opt for the same side that narrowly lost in his opening game as Eswatini head coach.
Any changes are therefore likely to be minimal, but forward Philani Thabo Mkhonto could replace Justice Figuareido in attack after he came off the bench in the defeat to Guinea-Bissau.
Mali are still without a host of players for Sunday's game, with Bundesliga duo Amadou Haidara and Moussa Sylla missing out, and they join Kevin Zohi, Hamari Traore, Massadio Haidara and Lassine Sinayoko in being unavailable for selection.
Elsewhere, Mamadou Doumbia and Sekou Koita will be pushing for starts in attack after both came off the bench in the draw against Mozambique, but midfield duo Lassana Coulibaly and Aliou Dieng should keep their place in the engine room.
Eswatini possible starting lineup:
Gama; Manana, Silenge, Gamedze, Thwala; Dlamini, Masangane, Matse, Matsebula; Ndzinisa; Mkhonto
Mali possible starting lineup:
Diarra; Diakite, Diaby, Fofana, Doucoure; Coulibaly, Dieng; Koita, Bissouma, Djenepo; Doumbia
We say: Eswatini 0-1 Mali
With Eswatini's recent record in competitive fixtures, it is hard to envision anything other than an away win for the highest-ranked team in Group I.
Given that Mali also drew their opening game against Mozambique, they will know that anything other than a win here would be a huge disappointment, even with the number of players Mali have unavailable on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
