Senegal take on Mali tonight for a place in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.
The Lions of Teranga are unbeaten in the competition so far, having swept past all but one of their opponents with relative ease.
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That blip on their otherwise perfect record came in the group stage, in a 1-1 draw with the DR Congo, where Sadio Mane rescued a point for the Senegalese after Cedric Bakambu’s opener just after the hour.
Pape Thiaw’s side have conceded just two goals in the tournament, with the second coming in the most recent outing against Sudan, where they were dealt an early scare.
Aamir Abdallah opened the scoring inside six minutes in Tangiers to set Sudan on their way to a huge upset, but any hope of that was quickly dashed before the break as Pape Gueye netted a brace. Ibrahim Mbaye finished the game off with 77 minutes played.
Mali, meanwhile, had been without star man and Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma at the start of AFCON, but he returned on boxing day in the draw with hosts Morocco.
Tom Saintfiet’s side drew all three games in the group stage, finishing as runners-up in Group A behind Morocco.
They then needed penalties to overcome Tunisia in the last 16.
The Malians have had a man sent off in their last two games, with Lens midfielder Amadou Haidara dismissed against Comoros and Woyo Coulibaly, the former Leicester full-back, given his marching orders against Tunisia.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Mali vs Senegal is scheduled for a 4pm GMT kick-off tonight, Friday, January 9, 2026.
The match will take place at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier.
Where to watch Mali vs Senegal
TV channel: Every match of the tournament will be broadcast across Channel 4’s network.
The game will be broadcast on E4, with coverage starting at 3.30pm GMT.
Live stream: UK viewers will be able to stream games on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube or Channel 4’s official website and app.
Mali vs Senegal team news
For Mali, Gaoussou Diarra is out injured with an ankle sprain, while Woyo Coulibaly will be suspended after his red card against Tunisia.
Haidara could come back into the side after sitting out the last 16 win with his own suspension.
Otherwise, Saintfiet has a full complement to pick from.
For Thiaw’s Senegal, Kalidou Koulibaly was suspended for the victory over Sudan after he saw red against Benin, but he should be back in contention to start here.
Winger Assane Diao was forced to withdraw from the squad just before the tournament with a muscle injury he sustained playing for Como against Roma.
Besides from Koulibaly’s return, the Lions are in good shape to take on their tricky opponents in Tangiers, boasting one of the most star-studded squads at the tournament.
Mane is their star man off the left, and they have Bayern Munich striker Nicolas Jackson up top.
Former Chelsea man Edouard Mendy keeps goal for Thiaw’s side.
Mali vs Senegal prediction
While Mali are a plucky team that will provide stubborn resistance, you would have to expect Senegal’s stars to power through into the semis here.
Koulibaly’s return at the back only strengthens them, and he has formed a solid partnership with former Nottingham Forest man Mosusa Niakhate at centre-half.
Senegal to win, 3-1.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Mali wins: 2
Senegal wins: 7
Draws: 6
Mali vs Senegal match odds
Mali to qualify: 3/1
Senegal to qualify: 1/5
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
