Mali vs Ivory Coast prediction, odds and preview

Mali will battle Ivory Coast for a place in the semifinal of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at Stade de la Paix on Saturday night.

Unbeaten in the competition, the Eagles topped Group E, beating South Africa in their opening game, sharing the spoils with Tunisia and Namibia, and finally eliminating Burkina Faso in the last 16.

Ivory Coast however have an entirely different story to tell in this competition.

The Elephants finished as one of the best third-placed sides in the tournament and progressed to the last 16 to take on current champions Senegal.

However, despite going a goal down in the opening minutes of the match, Emerse Fae’s men managed to remain true to their cause and restored parity in the final minutes of normal time, seeing Senegal off on penalties, in the end, thanks to Frank Kessie.

The hosts will have their fans behind them and be confident moving into the clash knowing Mali have never beaten them in the history of this competition.

The Eagles have lost four times and drawn one of their last five matches against the Elephants in this tournament, yet will be hopeful knowing they have never been defeated in the quarter-finals of this competition.

Moreover, Eric Chielle will rely on Lassine Sinayoko’s services for this clash as the forward has netted thrice in his last four games in this tournament.

Meanwhile, Simon Adingra and Sebastien Haller could play a role from the start after their inclusion in the previous fixture.

The match comes off at 17:00 GMT.