Mali Coach: 'Tunisia Capable of AFCON Title, We Showed We Can Compete Against Morocco' - Elbotola
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Mali Coach: 'Tunisia Capable of AFCON Title, We Showed We Can Compete Against Morocco'

Mali Coach: 'Tunisia Capable of AFCON Title, We Showed We Can Compete Against Morocco'

02 January 2026at12:37

Mali national team coach, Belgian Tom Saintfiet, spoke about the challenging task awaiting his squad against Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16.

During the pre-match press conference, Saintfiet stated: "Tunisia is capable of winning this trophy. We watched them play in November against Jordan and followed their last match in this tournament. For me, Tunisia is a very strong team with excellent organization and experienced players."

He added: "It will be a difficult match, but we proved against Morocco that we are capable of competing. We didn't win that game, which was frustrating, and now everyone knows we need to win. We have 90 minutes, or 120 minutes, and even penalties if necessary, but we will score, and we have worked well in recent days on areas that need improvement."

Saintfiet concluded: "We will play against one of the strongest African teams, but I believe we are ready for this challenge." The match is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, at 20:00 GMT+1.

What is Mali coach Tom Saintfiet's assessment of Tunisia ahead of their AFCON clash?

Saintfiet views Tunisia as a very strong, well-organized team with experienced players, capable of winning the AFCON trophy, based on their recent performances and overall quality.

How does Mali plan to approach the challenging AFCON Round of 16 match against Tunisia?

Mali's coach Saintfiet believes they are ready, drawing confidence from their competitive showing against Morocco, and are prepared to win the knockout match, even if it goes to penalties.
Morocco
CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Mali
Tunisia

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