Senegal take on Mali in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, with a spot in the last four up for grabs.
Ayomide Oguntimehin provides the lowdown for the January 9 matchup at the Tangier Grand Stadium.
Mali vs Senegal match preview
Mali are without a win so far at the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament, but are remarkably in the last eight of the competition. They finished second in Group A behind host nation Morocco after securing three draws from their three matches to book their spot in the Round of 16 where they faced Tunisia.
Against the Carthage Eagles, they were reduced to 10 men early on and scored a stunning stoppage-time equalizer to seal another 1-1 draw, before clinching the win on penalty shootout to seal progress into the quarterfinals where they will go up against one of the tournament favourites.
AFCON 2025: Schedule, results and standings of the Africa Cup of Nations
Senegal, on the other hand, have underlined their status as favourites so far after breezing past most of their opponents. They finished top of Group D with seven points, setting up a Round of 16 clash against Sudan.
The Lions of Teranga dominated the clash and battled down from a goal deficit to record a commanding 3-1 result to advance to the last eight. Impressively, they have now scored three times in a single match in three of their four matches, after also recording 3-0 wins over Botswana and Benin Republic during the group stage.
Senegal weaving, Mane teasing, Mbaye pleasing. Pure cinema by The Lions of Teranga. 🇸🇳#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 | #WePlayDifferent pic.twitter.com/RVRkiJQz8N
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 4, 2026
Mali vs Senegal Head-to-Head record
(Last five meetings)
- 09.10.2019 – Mali 0-2 Senegal
- 26.03.2019 – Senegal 2-1 Mali
- 05.03.2014 – Senegal 1-1 Mali
- 17.11.2007 – Mali 2-3 Senegal
- 08.10.2005 – Senegal 3-0 Mali
Senegal have dominated this clash in recent meetings, winning four of the last five with the other match ending in a stalemate.
All five meetings have also produced at least two goals, making this a high-scoring affair over the years.
Recent form: Mali
Mali have been unimpressive so far at the tournament in Morocco and are without a win in 90 minutes of action, but recorded a 1-1 draw against the host nation during the group stage.
The Eagles have only kept one clean sheet in their four matches, although they have also not conceded more than once in a single match.
Recent form: Senegal
Senegal have been very impressive so far at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament, recording three wins from four matches and scoring a remarkable 10 goals.
The Lions of Teranga have also kept two clean sheets from their four matches and have scored three times in three of those matches, the exception being the 1-1 draw against DR Congo during the group stage.
Player to watch
Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Nicolas Jackson leads the attack for the star-studded Senegal side and has already scored twice so far in Morocco.
The Bayern Munich forward is superb at finding pockets of space and drawing defenders out of position, which opens gaps for his teammates and will be a key attacking threat against Mali.
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Best Betting Odds
Over 1.5 Goals – 1.38 (via 1xBet)
Prediction
This fixture has a history of producing high-scoring affairs and this particular clash is expected to continue that trend, given Senegal’s attacking quality and Mali’s inability to keep clean sheets.
