Mauritania vs Gabon Prediction (09.09.2023)

On Saturday evening, Mauritania and Gabon clash at the Stade Cheikha Ould Boidiya in a crucial gameweek six match in Group I of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations.

The home team currently sit top of the group, a point clear of their third-place opponents in the fight for qualification for AFCON 2024. A draw and a point could be enough for Mauritania to seal their place in next year's tournament.

Their recent record in qualifying is decent, although both their group games vs. DR Congo were cancelled. Their games have gone pretty well for the home team, as they are unbeaten in their last five qualifiers in African Cup of Nations qualifying.

Mauritania are unbeaten in their previous seven AFCON home qualifiers, having recorded five wins and two draws. The main reason for their recent good home record in qualifying is down to a solid defensive record, as they have kept five clean sheets in those seven unbeaten qualifiers on home soil.

The visitors will need to record a victory in this clash in order to qualify for next year's tournament. Back-to-back defeats against Sudan and DR Congo could prove to be fatal for their hopes of qualification.

A record of just two wins in their previous six AFCON qualifiers is a poor one. Their recent matches in qualifying have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in their last six games in qualifiers.

One of Gabon’s biggest weaknesses of late in their recent qualifiers has been their away form, as they have won just one of their last six matches on their travels. In fact, a 1-0 defeat at Sudan in their previous away qualifier was their third loss in four games.

Mauritania have been strong on home soil in qualifiers, while Gabon has been travel sick lately. The bet I am backing is for Mauritania to record a narrow win to book their spot at the 2024 African Cup of Nations.