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South Africa will conclude their Africa Cup of Nations 2023 (AFCON) group-stage campaign against Tunisia at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Wednesday.
South Africa, the 1996 champions, suffered a 2-0 loss to Mali in their campaign opener and bounced back with a thumping 4-0 win over Namibia on Sunday. Percy Tau broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 14th minute and Themba Zwane bagged a first-half brace.
Thapelo Maseko, who came on as a substitute in the 70th minute, registered himself on the scoresheet just five minutes later, scoring his first goal for Bafana Bafana.
Tunisia, who were the runners-up in the 1996 edition of the competition, have endured a winless start to their campaign. After losing 1-0 to Namibia in their campaign opener, they held Mali to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Both teams scored in the first half as Lassine Sinayoko's 10th-minute opener was canceled out by Hamza Rafia 10 minutes later.
The draw made things very interesting in the Group E table, with first-placed Mali and last-placed Tunisia separated by three points. So, each team from the group is in contention to qualify for the knockout round.
South Africa vs Tunisia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths six times across all competitions. The head-to-head record is perfectly even with three wins apiece for either side.
- They have met four times at the AFCON, including once in the 1996 final. South Africa won their first two meetings at the continental competition against their northern rivals and Tunisia came out victorious when they met in the group stage of the 2006 and 2008 editions.
- Four of the six meetings between them have produced under 2.5 goals with two clean sheets apiece for either side.
- The 1996 runners-up have seen under 2.5 goals in eight of their last nine games at the AFCON, failing to score six times in that period.
South Africa vs Tunisia Prediction
Bafana Bafana recorded their biggest-ever win at the AFCON on Sunday and will look to build on that form in this match. It was also their first win after three games in which they had failed to find the back of the net, so they are expected to score in this match.
South Africa have suffered back-to-back defeats in this fixture, scoring just once while conceding five times, though these losses came more than 15 years ago, so they will look to leave a better account of themselves in this match.
The Eagles of Carthage fell to a shock 1-0 loss to Namibia in their campaign opener and failed to register a win in their second match, playing out a 1-1 draw against Mali.
They need a win to ensure passage into the next round as they have failed to make it to the knockout stage in the editions in which they went winless in the group stage.
Considering the current form of the two teams and Tunisia's struggles in their recent matches at the AFCON, South Africa should be able to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: South Africa 2-1 Tunisia
South Africa vs Tunisia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - South Africa to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Percy Tau to score or assist any time - Yes
