Preview: Djibouti vs. Mauritius - prediction, team news, lineups

Djibouti, meanwhile, will take to the field for the first time in this competition having seen their scheduled opener against Kenya called off last time out.

Match preview

Mauritius eased past the threat of Pakistan thanks to a comprehensive 3-0 victory when the sides went toe to toe at Anjalay Stadium on Sunday.

Following a drab first half, strikes from Jeremy Villeneuve and Ashley Nazira put Tony Francois's men in the driving seat after which Mamoon Mossa Khan's own goal put the result beyond doubt.

That ended a dismal run of five defeats on the bounce for Les Dodos, who managed to find the back of the net only on one occasion in that time.

Coming up next is a first-ever meeting against an opposing outfit currently 13 places below in the latest FIFA rankings of all national teams.

Off the back of ending a 20-game winless streak last time out, Mauritius now seek to pick up consecutive wins for the first time in five years.

Djibouti remain without a competitive outing for over a year after they were denied the opportunity to lock horns against Kenya with the Harambee stars hit by a travel challenge.

As a result, Mohamed Meraneh Hassan's men will head into their next involvement still aiming to end a nine-match losing run across all competitions.

Riverains de la Mer Rouge are also without a victory on enemy territory since December 2019 and have it all to do away from home once again.

Djibouti friendly form:

Mauritius friendly form:

W

Mauritius form (all competitions):

L

L

L

W

W

Team News

Jeremie Villeneuve opened his Mauritius account at the 15th time of asking and the 29-year-old will be keen to pick up where he left off against Pakistan.

Ashley Nazira's strike in the aforementioned game was his ninth which leaves him two shy of Andy Sophie's current tally of 11 - the most of any active player for the hosts.

Mahdi Houssein Mahabeh's exclusion from Djibouti's 19-man squad remains a major talking point and the forward will not have the opportunity to extend his lead at the top of his nation's scoring chart.

First-choice goalkeeper Innocent Mbonihankuye is set to become only the seventh player in Djibouti history to rack up 20 international appearances.

Djibouti possible starting lineup:

Mbonihankuye; Hamadou, Batio, Aden, Siad; Hassan, Mahabeh, Ahmed; Mohamed, Elabeh, Akinbinu

Mauritius possible starting lineup:

Michel; Balisson, Rose, Vincent, Moutou; Langue, Bru, Nabab, Villeneuve; Francois, Nazira

We say: Djibouti 1-2 Mauritius

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