Can the Zebras tame the Lions of Chinguetti?

The odds would be with the home side but the visitors could turn the tables on the Zebras and spoil what would be a day of national festivities. Mauritania began the AFCON qualifiers phase with a win over Zebras but things have gone downhill since as they recorded three straight losses to take them out of contention. The Zebras remain the only team to gift Mauritania three points in the four-team group that also features Egypt and Cape Verde.

The visitors have, however, made it to the last three editions of the AFCON finals under the leadership of Amir Abdou and have more success than the home team in the qualification phase. Adbou's technical team has recently been boosted by the inclusion of respected goalkeeper, Ilyes Mzoughi who plays for South African giants, Kaizer Chiefs. The Zebras, however, look better on paper ahead of the crucial tie. In the last six games, the Zebras have had two wins and three losses whilst they have played a single draw. The visitors have won only once and that was against the Zebras, as they recorded five losses.