Clive Rose
Teams from around the African continent will clash beginning on Friday, November 11 in the first of home and away fixtures which will determine who makes it into the group stages of 2014 World Cup qualifying.
Mauritius withdrew from qualifying due to financial reasons and thus Liberia have automatically advanced, as the team the islanders were supposed to face. The Lone Stars find themselves in a tough group alongside Senegal, Uganda, and Angola.
Djibouti v Namibia | Friday, November 11 at 14:00 (CAT)
Having never even qualified for an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament, let alone a World Cup, Djibouti will be up against it when they host Namibia at the Stade National Gouled. Ahmed Abdelmonem’s players will likely employ a counter-attacking strategy to shield themselves against the pace of their visitors. The Brave Warriors will be without midfielders Stigga Ketjijere and Ananias Gebhardt, but coach Norii Kaanjuka has expressed confidence in the rest of his squad.
Comoros v Mozambique | Friday, November 11 at 15:00 (CAT)
This match at the Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh in Mitsamiouli will be a familiar affair for both sides as they were in the same group for 2012 Afcon qualifying. Mozambique fared much better than their upcoming opponents, finishing with seven points compared to the Coelecantes’ one. The Mambas are clear favourites as they won their match at the same stadium 1-0 and the reverse fixture in Maputo by a three-goal margin.
Sao Tome and Principe v Congo | Friday, November 11 at 15:00 (CAT)
Osvaldo Lima could become a hero in Sao Tome on Friday if his team pulls off an upset against the visiting Congolese. However, the smart money is definitely on the Diables Rouges who recently finished in third place of their 2012 Afcon qualifying group, which included Ghana, Sudan and Swaziland. Supporters of Sao Tome and Principe also won’t be pleased to be reminded that their team’s worst defeat came at the hands of these same opponents on July 7, 1976 when they lost 11-0.
Eritrea v Rwanda | Friday, November 11 at 15:30 (CAT)
The draw didn’t do any favours for the Red Sea Boys who must overcome a steadily improving Rwandan team at the Cicero Stadium in Asmara. Milutin Sredojevic’s Amavubi should have no problems getting past the Eritreans, as all their players will be looking to impress the new coach.
Equatorial Guinea v Madagascar | Friday, November 11 at 17:00 (CAT)
Before the Nzalang National get the honour of hosting their first ever Afcon in January they will have to make a good start to 2014 World Cup qualifying so that they enter the continental tournament in high spirits. Henri Michel nearly left the squad due to a dispute with Equatorial Guinea’s FA, but a presidential intervention changed his mind. Madagascar are certainly the underdogs in this one as they do not have any recent away success to speak of.
Chad v Tanzania | Friday, November 11 at 17:00 (CAT)
This is probably the most competitive match of the preliminary round in the Africa zone. Chad finished 2012 Afcon qualifying on high, with Karl Marx Barthalemy scoring a stoppage time goal to deny Malawi a place at the tournament while Tanzania managed to hold 2010 World Cup participants Algeria to two 1-1 draws. Jan Poulsen has remained in charge of the Taifa Stars despite the fact that his team faded in the latter stages, but a failure against the Sao might not be tolerated.
Guinea Bissau v Togo | Friday, November 11 at 18:00 (CAT)
The Djurtus will need to make the most of their home game at the Estadio Lino Correia as the latest news out of Togo is that Emmanuel Adebayor might be available to play for the Sparrow Hawks in the reverse fixture. Guinea-Bissau collected only three points in 2012 Afcon qualifying thanks to a 1-0 victory over Kenya. If they are to have any chance in Lome, they will need to repeat the feat.
Swaziland v DR Congo | Friday, November 11 at 19:00 (CAT)
Swaziland finished 2012 Afcon qualifying with a total of zero points, not a good omen when going up against a side such as the Leopards who boast a number of players from defending African champions TP Mazembe. The Leopards have rehired Claude Le Roy for the occasion, after struggling without the Frenchman in charge.
Lesotho v Burundi | Friday, November 11 at 20:00 (CAT)
It won’t be easy going for the hosts who didn’t even bother to take part in 2012 Afcon qualifying. The Likuena will hope that a strong showing at the Setsoto National Stadium will be enough to hold off a Burundian side that gathered five points in qualifying for the continental tournament despite being in a group with Cote D’Ivoire, Rwanda, and Benin. Their best away result was a 1-1 draw against Benin, but they’ll surely be looking to improve on that in Lobamba.
Somalia v Ethiopia | Saturday, November 12 at 14:45 (CAT)
Due to security reasons, this match was moved from Mogadishu to Djibouti. Thus, it is the only encounter taking place on Saturday, a day after the rest of the first leg qualifiers. Ethiopia’s recent exploits in 2012 Afcon qualifying, which included a rare 2-2 home draw against Nigeria, will give the Walya Antelopes an edge in this one.
Prior to last month's qualifier in Pyongyang, the last time these two nations met was in a friendly in August 2008 which ended goalless.
The last time these two nations met in Dubai was during the 2010 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, with the Koreans winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Park Chu-Young and Ki Sung-Yueng.
win over Tajikistan last month.
