Sierra Leone - Zimbabwe: The start of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
In the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Sierra Leone will face Zimbabwe. The match will take place on Thursday, September 24, kicking off at 9:00 PM CET, and I am offering a bet on it.
Sierra Leone - Zimbabwe: Match preview
For Sierra Leone, this will be their first official match since 2025, as they have not played any competitive fixtures this year. The team finished third with 15 points in the table, six points behind the second-placed team. Sierra Leone have produced mixed results in their recent matches. First, they lost to Azerbaijan in the FIFA Series, then beat Liberia 1:0 before losing 1:3 to Liberia in their third match. The team will now try to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2021.
Zimbabwe featured in the previous Africa Cup of Nations, but their results were not particularly impressive. Zimbabwe failed to win any of their three matches, losing twice and drawing once. After that, they did not play any competitive matches. Zimbabwe also failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They collected five points from 10 matches and finished bottom of the table. This year, they have played four friendlies, winning three and losing just one.
Match facts and H2H
- Zimbabwe have lost just once and won three of their last four matches.
- Sierra Leone have lost twice and won twice in their last four matches.
- Sierra Leone have scored in four consecutive matches.
- These two teams have never played each other.
Probable lineups
- Sierra Leone: Kamara, Sesay, Bah, Jalloh, Fornah, Dumbuya, Koroma, Turay, Tarawallie, Bundu, Bangura
- Zimbabwe: Tavaziva, Jalai, Takwara, Garananga, Maroodza, Mthunzi, Moffat, Munetsi, Tshuma, Navaya, Dube
Prediction
It will obviously be important for both teams to start the qualifiers with a win. I think we are in for an intriguing clash, but not a particularly high-scoring one. I am offering a bet on under 2.5 total goals at odds of 1.45.
