Mali Announce Algeria Friendly Ahead of AFCON 2019

Mali will take on Algeria in an international friendly as part of preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt.

The friendly is scheduled to be played in Abu Dhabi where the Eagles of Mali will be training ahead of the continental finals.

Mali are also keen on playing another friendly game before the tournament and talks with Cameroon are progressing nicely.

The Eagles coach Mohamed Magassouba is expected to announce his provisional squad in due course following which the team will begin preparations in Bamako before flying out of the country.

Earlier media reports indicated that the Eagles of Mali would play Namibia but the normalization committee running the West African nation football has gone silent on any such scheduled game.

Mali begin their Group E campaign against debutants Mauritania in Suez on 24 June before facing Tunisia four days later and finally Angola on 2 July in Ismailia.

Algeria, who won the Nations Cup in 1990, kick-off Group C against Kenya and then Senegal as well as Tanzania in Cairo.