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Madagascar will square off against Eswatini in the group stage of the COSAFA Cup at Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium on Monday. Both teams are back in the competition for the first time since 2022.
Barea got their campaign underway with a 1-0 win over Tanzania last week. Toky Niaina Rakotondraibe scored the only goal of the match in the 29th minute. They play DR Congo in a friendly on Sunday but will likely field a second-fiddle squad.
Sihlangu Semnikati are back in action for the first time since March. They played out a goalless draw against Cameroon and were held to a 3-3 draw by Mauritius four days later.
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Interestingly, both teams were eliminated from the quarterfinals in the 2022 edition of the competition.
Madagascar vs Eswatini Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 11 times across all competitions. They have contested these meetings closely, with Sihlangu Semnikati having a 4-3 lead in wins and four games ending in draws.
- They last met in the African Nations Championship qualifiers in December. Both teams registered away wins and Barea progressed to the next round 2-1 on aggregate.
- Ten of the 11 meetings between them have produced under 2.5 goals.
- Barea have seen conclusive results in their last eight games in all competitions, suffering five losses.
- They have met five times in the COSAFA Cup thus far. Sihlangu Semnikati have an unbeaten record in these meetings, recording three wins.
- Eswatini have registered just one win in their last six games across all competitions, with that triumph registered against Barea in December.
- Sihlangu Semnikati have scored one goal apiece in four of their last five games in this fixture.
Madagascar vs Eswatini Prediction
Barea got their campaign underway with a win last week and will look to continue that form here. Interestingly, they are winless in five COSAFA Cup meetings against Sihlangu Semnikati and will look to improve upon that record.
Eswatini have drawn their two games in 2025 thus far and will look to bounce back with a win here. They have failed to score in three of their last five games in all competitions, which is a cause for concern.
Considering the current form of the two teams, we back Barea to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Madagascar 2-1 Eswatini
Madagascar vs Eswatini Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Madagascar to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
