As the calendar for the Africa Cup of Nations was established, Angola and Zimbabwe quickly marked Friday as the most important date of their competition. The two nations, which face each other in Marrakech, know it: in a very tough group, which also includes Egypt and South Africa, getting plenty of points against the other outsider will be almost essential if they want to reach the round of 16.
Against Zimbabwe (129th in the FIFA rankings), beaten to the wire by Egypt in the first match, Angola (89th) will start as a slight favorite. Coach Patrice Beaumelle was able to build his list around a few elements accustomed to major European championships, including Clinton Mata, widely used by Olympique Lyonnais in central defense this season… With the stated objective of doing better than his quarter-final in 2023.
The Angola-Zimbabwe match is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m. this Friday, December 26. The meeting will be followed live on television on beIN Sports 1.
