Benin welcome Congo DR to the General Mathieu Kerekou Friendship Stadium on Monday in search of a second consecutive win to start their World Cup qualifying campaign.
On the other hand, the away side will be looking to make up for the two points they dropped last time out by claiming all three in this one.
Match preview
© Reuters
Benin came out on top in their opening qualifier courtesy of a hard-fought 1-0 win over Madagascar at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium on Thursday.
In a game where clear-cut opportunities were at a premium, Steve Mounie broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, and that proved to be the decisive moment in Antananarivo.
Michel Dussuyer's men have now ended a barren run of five games without a victory, three of which came in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where they finished third in Group L.
The Squirrels now prepare for a first ever meeting against Congo DR on Monday before a second clash in quick succession eight days later.
DR Congo were involved in a share of the spoils following a 1-1 draw versus the Taifa Stars of Tanzania at the Stade TP Mazembe on Thursday.
Hector Cuper's men took in the lead in the 23rd minute through Dieumerci Mbokani, but parity was restored before the half-time whistle thanks to Simon Msuva.
The Leopards, who are currently ranked as the 65th-best national team by FIFA, now seek to return to winning ways away from home where they have lost their last two games to Gabon and Tunisia.
Monday's visitors failed to find the back of the net in both of the aforementioned matches, and they will be keen to get going at the attacking end.
- W
- D
- D
- L
- D
- L
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- D
Team News
Dieumerci Mbokani has now scored 18 goals for Congo DR and the 35-year-old continues to stretch his lead at the top of his nation's all-time scoring chart.
However, Mbokani's strike partner Cedric Bakambu is not far behind having netted 13 times in 12 fewer appearances for Monday's visitors.
Steve Mounie heads into the contest with the wind in his sails, as the Brest forward ended a two-year international goal drought last time out.
Jodel Dossou was on target for Benin in their last home victory where he netted his fifth goal for Monday's hosts, and he will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Benin possible starting lineup:
Allagbe; Doremus, Hountondji, Adenon, Assogba; Alinvi, Adeoti, Kossi; Soukou, Mounie, Azankpo
Congo DR possible starting lineup:
Kiassumbua; Muzinga, Tisserand, Luyindama, Amale; Akolo, Mbemba, Moutoussamy, Bolasie; Bakambu, Mbokani
We say: Benin 1-1 Congo DR
The teams are renowned for not giving too much away, which should make for a cagey affair, and while we expect goals at both ends, we are also backing a share of the spoils with a point apiece for either side in the end.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Congo DR win with a probability of 34.83%. A win for Benin had a probability of 34.34% and a draw had a probability of 30.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Congo DR win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.57%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (6.83%) and 1-2 (6.81%). The likeliest Benin win was 1-0 (13.45%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.5% likelihood.
