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Djibouti and South Sudan lock horns on Wednesday in the first leg of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round.
Neither of the two teams have ever participated in the tournament proper, and this is something they will both be eager to rectify in the next edition.
The Bright Stars lost out in the group stages of the first round last time out but their form since last year has been terrible.
The Shoremen of the Red Sea haven't covered themselves in glory either, losing their last seven games on the bounce.
Ranked a lowly 192nd in the world, Mohamed Meraneh Hassan's side are looking to banish memories of their 2017 encounter with South Sudan.
They won the first leg of that tie 2-0 at home but lost 6-0 in the return as the latter smashed the deficit in emphatic fashion.
Djibouti vs South Sudan Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have only been three clashes between the sides in the past, with South Sudan winning twice and losing once.
- Their last encounter came exactly five years ago when the Bright Stars secured a stunning 6-0 victory over Djibouti in an AFCON qualification match.
- Djibouti are currently on one of their worst runs in history, with a defeat in each of their last seven games, conceding a staggering 30 goals in the process.
- The Bright Stars arer also winless in their last eight games and will look to this match as an opportunity to change that trend.
Djibouti vs South Sudan Prediction
Both teams have been on a horrendous run of form since last year.
Djibouti have lost each of their last seven games in all competitions, including six in the World Cup qualifiers with some heavy defeats to Algeria, Niger and Burkina Faso.
South Sudan have also failed to win any of their last eight games, losing seven.
Considering this, it's hard to predict a winner here, and a low-scoring draw seems to be the most likely outcome of this contest between the two lowly sides.
Prediction: Djibouti 1-1 South Sudan
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Djibouti vs South Sudan Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: under 2.5 (Neither team has shown any goalscoring prowess of late)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
