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Tunisia will square off against Namibia at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) opener on Tuesday.
Tunisia are playing in the group stage for the 16th consecutive edition of the continental competition. They made it to the quarter-finals last season, losing 1-0 to Burkina Faso in a closely contested match. Interestingly their only title triumph in the continental competition came in 2004, when they were the hosts.
Tunisia have made it to the quarter-finals in the last four editions of the competition and will look to keep that run alive. With South Africa and Mali being the two other teams in Group E, they are strong favorites to finish as group toppers.
Namibia failed to qualify for the previous edition of the tournament after being eliminated from the group stage in 2019. In that edition, they suffered defeats in all three games during the group stage, scoring just once while conceding six goals.
The 2004 champions are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions and have kept clean sheets in these matches as well. Tunisia recorded a 2-0 win in a friendly over Cape Verde on Wednesday.
Namibia have just one win in their last eight games across all competitions and in their friendly against Ghana on Tuesday, they played out a goalless draw.
Tunisia vs Namibia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths three times in all competitions, with just one of them coming in the 21st century. Tunisia have a 100% record in these games, keeping two clean sheets.
- Namibia have kept four clean sheets in their last five games and have failed to score four times in that period as well.
- Namibia are winless in their nine games across three group-stage campaigns in the AFCON, suffering seven defeats.
Tunisia vs Namibia Prediction
The Eagles of Carthage have been in good touch recently and have won three of their last four games in all competitions. They have scored seven goals without a reply and will look to build on their defensive form here.
Interestingly, they have struggled in their recent games at the AFCON, suffering five losses in seven games while failing to score in these defeats as well. Captain Youssef Msakni has been in good touch this season and scored in the friendly against Cape Verde. Ellyes Skhiri has also enjoyed a good season with Eintracht Frankfurt and should start here.
Brave Warriors are back in the AFCON group stage after missing out last time around. Having gone winless in the group stage in 2019, they'll look to leave a better account of themselves this time around.
They have just one win in their last eight games, which is a cause for concern. At the AFCON, they have lost six of their last seven games and might struggle here.
Considering the current form of the two teams and Tunisia's dominance in this fixture, they are expected to record a narrow win and the odds of a clean sheet also look good.
Prediction: Tunisia 1-0 Namibia
Tunisia vs Namibia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Tunisia to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Tunisia to keep a clean sheet - Yes
Tip 4: Youssef Msakni to score or assist any time - Yes
