Mali head coach Tom Saintfiet has said Senegal are the favourites ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final meeting in Morocco.
The two sides will face each other on Friday, January 9, at the Grand Stade de Tanger after both teams came through the round of 16. Mali reached the last eight after beating Tunisia on penalties following a 1-1 draw, while Senegal came from behind to defeat Sudan.
Mali have not won a match in the tournament so far. They drew 1-1 with Zambia, 1-1 with Morocco and 0-0 with Comoros in the group stage before progressing on penalties against Tunisia.
Speaking ahead of the game, Saintfiet said Mali are not the favourites and repeated that Senegal are the stronger side, just as Morocco and Tunisia were in earlier rounds. He added that Mali’s aim is to stay in the competition as long as possible.
Saintfiet said his players need to stay calm and play their usual football, adding that his team are capable of competing with any opponent. He also praised his players for their discipline and mentality in the win over Tunisia, especially after going down to ten men.
Goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, who saved two penalties and was named man of the match, said the players stayed united and focused throughout a very difficult game. He added that qualifying meant a lot to the Malian people.
Senegal have had the better of recent meetings between the two teams, winning three of the last four matches, with the other ending in a draw.
