Mauritania vs Gabon Prediction: A draw is a possible outcome

On Saturday, Mauritania will play host to Gabon in the thrilling conclusion to Group I of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The game will take place at Stade de la Capitale. This weekend's matchup promises to be an interesting battle because both teams still have a shot at qualifying for the next African Cup of Nations (AFCON), and it will take place between the two teams.

Mauritania breezed past the difficulty posed by Sudan on June 20 at Stade Adrar thanks to a decisive victory that resulted in a score of 3-0. Midway through the first half, Mohamed Nouh scored for Amir Abdou's team to give them the lead. El Hassan Houbeib and Hemeya Tanjy scored in the second half to put an end to any remaining uncertainty over the outcome. Following their victory over Mali in the qualifications for the African Nations Championship, the Lions of Chinguetti had been on a losing streak of three games in a row prior to this point. However, with this victory, they were finally able to break the streak of losses that came against Senegal and D.R. Congo twice. There is not much to pick between the two sides at this point since their previous four encounters have resulted in one victory apiece and two draws. After suffering their first loss on home turf in 2021 very recently, the team that is hosting the match on Saturday will be eager to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible in front of their supporters.

The African Cup of Nations aspirations of Gabon were dealt another blow when they were defeated by the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-0 at the Stade de Franceville on June 18. The match took place on that day. The team managed by Patrice Neveu fell behind thanks to a goal scored by Aaron Tshibola 11 minutes before the break. After that, Fiston Mayele clinched the victory for his side in the dying moments of the match. Les Pantheres are currently in third place in their qualifying group with seven points after playing five matches. They are tied on points with their upcoming opponents, which bodes well for an exciting contest between the two teams. The visitors on Saturday will need to put on a near-perfect performance once again away from home, where they are currently unbeaten in three straight competitive matches, in order to secure a spot at the continental championship that will take place the following year.

Mauritania possible starting lineup:

Diaw; Abeid, Nouh, Houbeib, Keita; Tanjy, Fofana, Mouhsine; Anne, Mahmoud, Gassama

Gabon possible starting lineup:

Amonome; Palun, Appindangoye, Ndong, Ekomie; Allevinah, Lemina, Poko; Boupendza, Aubameyang, Bouanga

Mauritania and Gabon will compete against each other in a game that counts as a "direct knockout" for the purpose of determining who will advance from Group I. Both teams now have the same number of points, so a victory for either team would result in automatic qualification for AFCON 2023. On the other hand, as long as Sudan defeats Congo DR, a tie could also be enough to win the game. Mauritania would go to the next round if both teams played to a scoreless draw, although Gabon would overtake them in the table based on their better head-to-head record. If Sudan were to lose, Mauritania would advance to the next round. The high-stakes element of the game may cause players to play more cautiously. We believe that the two teams will be able to cancel each other out and play to a 1-1 draw.