The national side will be wary of a Mali side that triumphed 2-1 on February 1 at the AFCON finals. However, assistant coach, Kenneth Mogae has described the draw as fair.
"It is a fair draw, you cannot expect a weak opponent at this stage. I am happy that we are playing away from home first," Mogae said. He said that the team had competed at the highest level and should now get down to work to prepare for the first leg clash in September. The Malians are not invincible and had to struggle to overcome a battling Zebras side which had equalised through Mogakolodi 'Tsotso' Ngele before a late Seydou Keita's beauty goal won it for the West Africans at the AFCON finals. Zebras coach, Stanley Tshosane attended the draw conducted at Emperor's Palace near OR Tambo airport. Meanwhile, the draw dished up some mouthwatering fixtures with Senegal scheduled to clash against Ivory Coast in the toughest fixture. The first legs will be played on the weekend of September 7 to 9 with the return on October 12 to 14. The draw for the finals will be conducted on October 26. The 15 winners join South Africa for next year's tournament which runs from January 19 to February 10.
