Black Stars out to outshine Eagles in West African derby

Ghana will lock horns with Mali in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualification (group I) match scheduled to be played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday.

Kick-off is at 9:00 pm CAT.

CURRENT FORM

The Black Stars are undefeated in their last two matches across all competitions, having registered one victory and one draw, which came against Chad away in a group I encounter on 4 September.

Ghana are placed at the top of the group I standings, having collected 16 points from seven matches, and the West African giants will book their place in the finals if they collect at least seven points in their last three matches.

Meanwhile, Mali snapped a two-match winless run across all competitions when they thrashed a hapless Comoros side 3-0 in at home on 4 September.

The Eagles are placed third in the group I standings, having collected 12 points from seven matches and the West African side have to win their last three games in order to stand a good chance of finishing in the top two spots as either group winners or as one of the four best runners-up.

TEAM NEWS

Ibrahim Sulemana left the Ghana camp on Saturday night after sustaining a knee injury during training in Chad and he has been replaced by Kwasi Sibo.

Mali, on the other hand, were dealt a blow last week as Mahamadou Doumbia had to leave the Eagles camp in order to complete his proposed transfer in Paris, France and he wasn't replaced.

WHAT WAS SAID?

Ghana coach Otto Addo

“I can’t say we played excellently or we played well because it was a draw [against Chad]. The result is everything…we had a lot of corners, we did nothing out of that," Addo told reporters.

“We had a lot of shots, attempts on goal, we had a lot of ball possession, and normally we have to win this game. This, in the end, surely, is not good enough, and we have to improve, especially on our execution."

Mali coach Tom Saintfiet

"A 3-0 win against Comoros! Proud of you guys! Great job! Allez les Aigles!" Saintfiet said on his official Instagram account

"Monday, we will play in Accra against Ghana in a crucial battle, it will be my 10th competitive match with Mali! The first 9 matches: 6 wins, 3 draws, 0 defeats, 16 goals scored, 1 goal conceded, 2,33 point average per match, 67 per cent win."

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Ghana and Mali have met 25 times across all competitions since their first-ever meeting in August 1960.

The Black Stars have the upper hand in this rivalry, having won 12 matches compared to the Eagles' six victories, while seven games ended in draws.

The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 2-1 victory in favour of Ghana in the 2026 World Cup qualifier played in Bamako in June 2024.