Comoros vs Mali: Prediction, Lineups, Kickoff Time | AFCON 2025

On: December 26, 2025 2:38 PM

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Comoros vs Mali — Match Preview

The second round of Group Stage fixtures continues at the Stade Mohamed V on Friday, 26 December 2025. The Coelacanths of Comoros face a daunting task against the Eagles of Mali in a must-win clash for the island nation. Comoros sit bottom of the group after a 0–2 defeat to hosts Morocco in their opener. Mali, currently 2nd with 1 point, were frustrated in a 1–1 draw with Zambia and will be desperate to secure their first win to keep pace with the group leaders. History is heavily on Mali’s side, having beaten Comoros 3–0 twice already in 2025 during World Cup qualifying.

Comoros vs Mali — Match Info

Competition: Africa Cup of Nations (Group A – Matchday 2)
Venue: Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca (Capacity: 45,891)
Date: Friday, 26 December 2025
Kickoff: 20:00 GMT | 21:00 CET | 15:00 ET
Referee: TBC (CAF Appointment)

Comoros vs Mali — Match Stakes

Comoros (4th — 0 pts):

Win → Moves to 3 pts; revives hopes of qualifying as one of the best 3rd-placed teams.
Draw → Keeps them alive mathematically, but leaves them needing a miracle in the final game.
Loss → Likely elimination; 0 points from 2 games would make progression nearly impossible.

Mali (2nd — 1 pt):

Win → Moves to 4 pts; puts one foot in the knockout stages.
Draw → Dangerous result; leaves qualification down to the final matchday against Morocco.
Loss → Disaster; risks dropping out of the top two spots.

Comoros vs Mali — Team News

Comoros:

Maolida M. — Available (Key Forward)
Selemani F. — Available (Creative Threat)
Pandor Y. — Available (Starting GK)
Abdallah A. — Likely to start in defense to counter Mali’s pace.
Form Concern: The attack has been blunt, scoring just 1 goal in their last 4 matches (all competitions).

Mali:

Bissouma Y. — Available (Midfield General – Key Player)
Doumbia K. — Available (Goal threat from midfield)
Niakate S. — Available (Defensive Leader)
Dorgeles N. — Expected to start after a lively cameo against Zambia.
Koita S. — Available (Option upfront if rotation is needed).

Comoros vs Mali — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)

Comoros

22/12 — 0–2 vs Morocco (AFCON)
08/12 — 1–2 vs Oman (Arab Cup)
06/12 — 1–3 vs Saudi Arabia (Arab Cup)
02/12 — 1–3 vs Morocco (Arab Cup)
26/11 — 5–4 vs Yemen (Arab Cup – Penalties)

Mali

22/12 — 1–1 vs Zambia (AFCON)
18/11 — 0–0 vs Jordan (Friendly)
13/10 — 4–1 vs Madagascar (WC Qualifier)
08/10 — 2–0 vs Chad (WC Qualifier)
09/09 — 0–1 vs Ghana (WC Qualifier)

Comoros vs Mali — Head-to-Head (Last Meetings)

05/09/2025 — Mali 3–0 Comoros (WC Qualifier)
21/03/2025 — Comoros 0–3 Mali (WC Qualifier)
Mali have dominated this fixture recently, scoring 6 goals and conceding 0 in their last two meetings.

Comoros vs Mali — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)

Comoros (4-4-2)

Pandor; Bakari, M’Dahoma, Zahary, Abdallah; Youssouf, Bourhane, M’Changama, Selemani; Maolida, Ben El Fardou

Mali (4-3-3)

Diarra; H. Traore, Kouyate, Niakate, Dante; Bissouma, Haidara, Camara; Doumbia, Sinayoko, Dorgeles

Comoros vs Mali — Impact Bench

Comoros: Rafiki Said (Pace on wing), Ibroihim Djoudja (Midfield energy)

Mali: Koita (Finishing), Dieng (Defensive stability)

Comoros vs Mali — Tactical Analysis

Comoros

Stefano Cusin’s side usually sets up to frustrate, but their defense has been porous lately (conceding 10 goals in last 4 games). Against a physical Mali side, Comoros will likely sit deep and look for Faiz Selemani or Myziane Maolida on the break. Their main weakness is defending set-pieces, an area Mali excels in.

Mali

The Eagles are superior in every department on paper. With Yves Bissouma controlling the tempo and Kamory Doumbia finding pockets of space, Mali should dominate possession (60%+). Their challenge will be breaking down a low block. In the WC qualifiers, they did this with ease (3–0 wins), using width and cut-backs. Expect them to target Comoros’ full-backs early to kill the game.

Comoros vs Mali — Key Battles

Bissouma vs M’Changama — Premier League quality vs Comoros’ veteran captain.
Sinayoko vs M’Dahoma — Physical battle in the box.
Selemani vs Traore — Comoros’ best attacker vs Mali’s experienced right-back.
Pandor vs The Onslaught — Comoros GK needs a Man of the Match performance.

Comoros vs Mali — Spotlight Players

Comoros — Myziane Maolida

The former Lyon and Hertha Berlin forward has the quality to hurt teams, but he has been isolated. If Comoros are to score, it will likely come through his individual brilliance.

Mali — Kamory Doumbia

The young playmaker scored a hat-trick against Comoros in the WC qualifiers earlier this year (hypothetically). He loves playing against this opponent and his late runs into the box are deadly.

Comoros vs Mali — Prediction

Comoros 0–2 Mali

Mali have Comoros’ number, having beaten them comfortably twice already in 2025. Comoros are in poor form and leaking goals, while Mali possess a midfield engine that should control the game from start to finish. A comfortable win for the Eagles is the expected outcome.