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The preliminaries of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begin this week and will see Chad face Gambia at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium on Wednesday.
Chad are set to return to competitive action this week for the first time in over a year. The team was banned by FIFA last April and will now be looking forward to their return.
Les Sao have never participated in the Africa Cup of Nations in their history. They withdrew during the qualifiers in 2017, were banned from the competition in 2019 and disqualified from the qualifiers in 2021.
Gambia participated in the latest edition of the continental showpiece and were one of the surprise sides of the tournament. They went unbeaten in the group stages, finishing in second place and ultimately advancing to the quarterfinals of the competition where they lost to tournament hosts Cameroon.
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations saw the Scorpions make their debuts in the competition. They will be targeting back-to-back appearances in the tournament.
Chad vs Gambia Head-to-Head
Wednesday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two nations. While Chad have been out of action since 2020, Gambia have flourished of late under Belgian manager Tom Saintfiet, rising 25 places in the most recent FIFA rankings.
Chad Form Guide (All Competitions): L-L-D-L-D
Gambia Form Guide (All Competitions): L-W-W-D-W
Chad vs Gambia Team News
Chad
Manager Djimtan Yatamadji has opted for a bold approach on his side's return to football action. The Chadian has called up 17 newcomers to the national team, including all three goalkeepers.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Gambia
Ablie Jallow, who scored Gambia's first AFCON goal earlier this year, remains out with a knee injury he sustained in the tournament and has not been named in the squad. A number of players could make their international debuts while captain Pa Modou Jagne has been excluded from the team.
Injured: Ablie Jallow
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Chad vs Gambia Predicted XI
Chad Predicted XI (4-3-3): Adoum Deffallah; Constant Madtoingué, Bechir Seid Djimet, Abderamane Ahmat, Issa Abdelaziz; Bakhit Djibrine, Youssouf Abanga, Moustapha Ali; Beadoum Mondé, Abdelaziz Makine, Yaya Kerim
Gambia Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Baboucarr Gaye; Muhammed Sanneh, James Gomez, Omar Colley, Noah Sonko Sundberg; Sulayman Marreh; Ebrima Colley, Yusupha Bobb, Ebrima Darboe, Abdoulie Sanyang; Musa Barrow
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Chad vs Gambia Prediction
Chad have been out of action since late 2020 and last won a game of football in 2015. They are currently one of the bottom 30 countries in world football according to the FIFA rankings.
Gambia impressed many with their performances in the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations. They were the lowest-ranked country in their group and still went unbeaten, making it to the quarterfinals in their debut AFCON campaign. They will be looking to continue their good run and should be able to do so this week.
Prediction: Chad 1-3 Gambia
