A photo of the Guinea national team
Guinea and Malawi will both be looking to get off to a winning start in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations when they lock horns at the Kouekong Stadium on Monday, January 10, 2022.
The teams have been drawn in Group B alongside Senegal and Zimbabwe, who square off in the other fixture of the opening round.
Guinea capped off their preparations for the AFCON by getting the better of Rwanda in an international friendly on Thursday.
Mohamed Bayo and skipper Naby Keita both netted in the opening 45 minutes to secure a well-deserved victory for Kaba Diawara’s men.
That ended a seven-game winless run for Syli Nationale, who will be hoping to use the triumph as a turning point as they set out to enjoy a fruitful tournament in Cameroon.
First up is a crunch contest versus an opposing outfit who have won just one of the previous six meetings between the teams.
After failing to participate in the last five editions of the competition, Malawi were desperate to secure a ticket this time around and did so having picked up 10 points during the qualifiers.
The Flames have been on a woeful run of just one victory from the subsequent 11 games, which has seen them fail to qualify for November’s World Cup.
Still seeking their maiden continental title, Meke Mwase’s men go in search of an opening victory to set the tone for the rest of the competition.
Having never made it to the knockout stages in any of their previous appearances at this level, the East Africans will be keen to break that duck at the third time of asking.
Guinea possible starting lineup: Keita; Sow, Camara, Conte, Kante; Keita, Diawara, Moriba; Camara, Bayo, Cisse.
Malawi possible starting lineup: Kankhobwe; Sanudi, Chirwa, Mzava, Chembezi; Idana, Chirwa, Mhone; Banda, Mbulu, Muyaba.