Two sides in need of a morale-boosting result go head to head on Friday evening as Niger take on Togo in a friendly matchup at the El Bachir Stadium.
Having suffered defeat in their first outings of the year, the two nations will head into the weekend in search of a pick-me-up as they look to gather some momentum before returning to the World Cup qualifiers later in June.
Match preview
Niger were left spitting feathers in their first outing of the year as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Senegal when the sides met in a friendly at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade on January 8.
With nothing to separate the sides heading into the final minutes of the game, Lorient defender Formose Mendy came up clutch for Senegal as he netted the winner in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
Prior to that, Zaki Badou's men kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on November 18, when they fell to a 1-0 loss against Tanzania in the Group E opener at the Stade de Marrakech.
However, Niger bounced back three days later as they secured a hard-earned 2-1 win over Zambia thanks to first-half goals from Amadou Moutari and 23-year-old Boubacar Goumey.
Niger, who have won just one of their last eight competitive matches, will head into Friday's tie in search of a morale-boosting result ahead of their return to the World Cup qualifiers, where they go up against Congo in June.
Togo, on the other hand, were simply outplayed and outclassed by a clinical Algeria side as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against the Desert Warriors when both sides locked horns in their first outing of the year on January 5.
In a one-sided affair, Borussia Dortmund's Ramy Bensebaini scored on either side of Islam Slimani's 55th-minute strike to fire Algeria to a comfortable friendly victory and a third win on the bounce.
Togo were previously on a six-game unbeaten run across all competitions, picking up three wins and three draws, including two consecutive share of the spoils in their opening two games of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Sparrowhawks kicked off their quest for a World Cup ticket with a 1-1 draw against Sudan at the Martyrs of February Stadium on November 16, five days before holding out for a goalless draw against 2021 African champions Senegal.
While Togo will be looking to find their feet this weekend, they will need to be at their best as they go up against a Niger side who are unbeaten in seven of their last nine encounters, claiming three wins and four draws since August 1994.
Team News
We expect to see a Niger back three of Abdoulaye Boureima Katkore, Salifou Massoudi and 22-year-old Abdel Rahim Alhassane shielding goalkeeper Mahamadou Djibo between the sticks.
At the opposite end of the pitch, 23-year-old Goumey should spearhead the Niger attack once again, alongside striker partner Yusif Moussa, who made his international debut in August 2017.
Togo have called up a 23-man squad for Friday's matchup, including the likes of Steven Mensah, Fortuna Sittard defender Sadik Fofana and Cercle Brugge striker Kevin Denkey.
Denkey is currently 10th in the nation's all-time scoring chart with seven goals in 28 appearances and we expect the 23-year-old to spearhead the Sparrowhawks attack once again.
At the centre of the park, we expect a midfield trio of Karim Dermane, Roger Aholou and 29-year-old Euloge Fessou Placca, while Kevin Boma and Fofana should team up at the heart of the defence.
Niger possible starting lineup:
Djibo; Katkore, Massoudi, Alhassane; Yakubu, Moumouni, Diabete, Moutari, Djibrilla; Goumey, Moussa
Togo possible starting lineup:
Mensah; Bessile, Boma, Fofana, Djene; Dermane, Aholou, Placca; Henen, Denkey, Agbagno
We say: Niger 1-1 Togo
Niger and Togo have stumbled into the new year and will be looking to return to winning ways as they prepare for their next World Cup qualifying outing. We predict that both sides will cancel out each other's efforts and settle for a share of the spoils.
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