Guinea-Bissau and Eswatini get their quest for a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations underway when they square off at the Estadio 24 de Setembro on Thursday.
Seeking their first appearance at the continental showpiece, the Sihlangu Semnikati will head into the midweek clash looking to begin their qualifying campaign on the front foot and end their two-game losing streak against the hosts.
Match preview
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Guinea-Bissau failed to return to winning ways in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt when the two nations squared off on June 10.
Brest man Mama Balde broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time at the Estadio 24 de Setembro but Mohamed Salah netted in the 70th minute to hand Egypt a share of the spoils.
With the result against the Pharaohs, Guinea-Bissau have now gone unbeaten in each of their four games in the World Cup qualifiers, picking up six points from a possible 12 to sit second in Group A.
Head coach Luis Boa Morte will hope that his side can take the positives from June's draw with Egypt as they look to begin their quest for a fifth consecutive Africa Cup of Nations appearance on a positive note.
The Djurtus had kicked off the year with another forgettable AFCON campaign as they lost each of their three games in Ivory Coast to finish rock-bottom in Group A, suffering a fourth straight group-stage exit.
Guinea-Bissau, who are currently 114th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, head into Thursday's clash without a win in their last five competitive matches, losing three and claiming two draws while conceding eight goals and scoring three since beating Djibouti 1-0 in November 2023.
Eswatini, on the other hand, were dumped out of the COSAFA Cup in the group stages for the second consecutive year as they picked up two points from their three matches to finish third in Group A back in July.
Having played out back-to-back goalless draws against Botswana and Mozambique in their opening two matches, Dominic Kunene's men fell to a 1-0 loss against South Africa in a pivotal group finale on July 2.
This was in keeping with their disappointing run of results in the World Cup qualifiers, where Eswatini have lost each of their four matches so far, conceding six goals and scoring once, and find themselves rooted to the bottom of Group D.
The Sihlangu Semnikati now turn their sights to the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, having edged out Somalia in the preliminary round, beating the Ocean Stars 3-0 in the first leg on March 20, one week before playing out a 2-2 draw in the return leg at the Mbombela Stadium to complete a 5-2 aggregate victory.
However, Eswatini will need to be at their best on Thursday as they go up against a Guinea-Bissau side who have picked up two wins in their previous two encounters in the AFCON qualifiers, scoring six goals and conceding once since November 2019.
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Team News
Guinea-Bissau have called up 27 players for their upcoming games against Eswatini and Mozambique, with the likes of Sori Mane, Red Star Belgrade's Dalcio and Brest striker Balde headlining the squad.
Balde opened the scoring against Egypt last time out and should spearhead the Djurtus attack once again, alongside 27-year-old Ze Turbo and Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju while Opa Sangante and Marcelo Djalo should retain their roles at the opposite end of the pitch.
Manuel Issufe Djalo, Fernando Embadje and Moreirense defender Gilberto Batista are the three new faces in the Guinea-Bissau camp and they could be handed their senior debut at the Estadio 24 de Setembro.
On the other hand, Eswatini have named a 21-man squad for their upcoming qualifying matches, including goalkeeper Xolani Gama, defender Philiso Newman and striker Justice Figareido.
Junior Magagula, Thubelihle Mavuso and Simanga Masangane started the COSAFA Cup game against South Africa last time out and the 27-year-old should handle business in the centre of the park once again.
Guinea-Bissau possible starting lineup:
Balde; Sambinha, Sangante, Djalo, Mendy; Encada, Semedo, Bikel; Dju, Turbo, Balde
Eswatini possible starting lineup:
Gama; Gamedze, Silenge, Newman; Manana, Muvaso, Magagula, Masangane; Matsebula, Figareido, Gweba
We say: Guinea-Bissau 2-0 Eswatini
Guinea-Bissau will be licking their lips as they take on a struggling Eswatini side who have failed to win their last six matches across all competitions. Morte's men have won the last two meetings between the two nations, and given the gulf in quality and experience between the two nations, we are backing them to come away with all three points.
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