Togo and Liberia get their quest for a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations underway when they go head to head at the Stade de Kegue on Friday.
Both sides, whose last encounter ended in a pulsating 2-2 draw back in June 2016, have been drawn in Group E and will battle with Equatorial Guinea and two-time African champions Algeria for a place in Morocco.
Match preview
Togo failed to get up and running in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Congo DR when the two nations squared off on June 9.
In a cagey affair at the Stade des Martyrs, Young Boys striker Meschack Elia netted in the sixth minute to put the home side in front before they turned in a solid defensive performance to protect their lead and see out the win.
Having played out consecutive stalemates against Sudan, Senegal and South Sudan in their opening three games, Dare Nibombe's men have now failed to win any of their four matches in the World Cup qualifiers, claiming three points from a possible 12 to sit fourth in Group B.
The Sparrow Hawks now turn their attention to the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they will be looking to begin their quest for a place in Morocco on the front foot and end their eight-year absence from the continental showpiece.
Togo's last AFCON appearance came in Gabon back in 2017, when they finished rock-bottom in Group C with one point from a possible nine, playing out a goalless draw with Ivory Coast in the opening game before suffering back-to-back defeats against Morocco and Congo DR.
Liberia, on the other hand, continued their push for a first-ever World Cup appearance as they secured a 1-0 victory over Sao Tome and Principe when the sides squared off on June 9.
Gaborone United man Sheikh Sesay came up clutch for the visitors as he netted the only goal of the game in the 90th minute to hand them all three points at the Stade Municipal de Bohicon.
Liberia have now picked up two wins and one draw from their four matches in Group H to collect seven points and sit third in the table, three points behind first-placed Tunisia in the automatic qualifying spot.
Head coach Mario Marinica will hope that his side can pick up where they left off in June as they get underway in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, after securing a 2-0 aggregate victory over Djibouti in the preliminary round back in March.
Having secured a 2-0 first-leg win against Djibouti on March 20, Liberia held firm for a goalless draw at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in the return leg six days later to complete a 2-0 aggregate victory over the Shoremen of the Red Sea.
Liberia head into Friday's group opener unbeaten in each of their last five matches across all competitions, picking up three wins and two draws while scoring seven goals and keeping four clean sheets since a 1-0 loss against Malawi in November 2023.
Team News
Togo have called up 25 players for September's qualifiers, with the likes of Wassiou Ouro-Gneni, Cercle Brugge forward Kevin Denkey and Getafe man Djene Dakonam headlining the squad.
Denkey, who has six goal involvements across all competitions this season, should lead the attack once again, alongside 32-year-old Kodjo Laba, who is second in the nation's all-time scoring chart with 19 goals in 50 caps.
At the defensive end of the pitch, we should see a back three of Dakonam Djene, Jacques-Alaixys Romao and Bayer Leverkusen man Sadik Fofana, while Roger Aholou and Evra Agbagno should team up in the centre of the park.
Meanwhile, Liberia have named a 24-man squad for the games against Togo and Algeria, including Hibernian midfielder Nohan Kenneh and Viktoria Plzen defender Sampson Dweh.
Slavia Prague man Oscar Dorley, who has scored one goal since making his senior debut in July 2015, has also been included in the squad and should start in midfield once again, alongside Kenneh.
Up top, 31-year-old Terry Sackor should lead the visitors' attack with Lawrence Kumeh and Mohammed Sangare, while Sabastine Teclar, Kemoh Kamara, Philip Tarnue and 22-year-old Dweh should form the back four.
Togo possible starting lineup:
Ouro-Gneni; Djene, Fofana, Romao; Tchakei, Aholou, Agbagno, Narey, Aziangbe; Denkey, Laba
Liberia possible starting lineup:
Koulibaly; Teclar, Dweh, Kamara, Tarnue; Dorley, Kenneh, Sherriff; Kumeh, Sangare; Sackor
We say: Togo 1-0 Liberia
Liberia have put together a fine run of results since the turn of the year and will fancy their chances against Togo who have failed to win their last four competitive matches.
However, the Sparrow Hawks' home advantage gives them a slight upper hand here and we are tipping them to come away with a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
