After exiting the African Cup of Nations in the group stage having earned a solitary point, Sudan will continue their rebuild with a friendly against Tanzania on Tuesday at 17:00GMT.
Match Preview
Can Tanzania Build on their 3-1 Win against the Central African Republic by Beating Sudan?
On Wednesday, Tanzania manager Kim Poulsen was pleased with his team’s performance in the convincing 3-1 win over the Central Africa Republic. However, the gaffer will be looking forward to facing Sudan, a team that qualified for this Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon earlier this year.
Although Sudan did not make it past the group stage, Tanzania will expect a tough examination on the pitch from a team looking to bounce back from that bad experience in Cameroon.
Can Sudan’s Post-Africa Cup of Nations Take Shape in the Match against Tanzania?
The clash with Tanzania will be the second fixture for Sudan after the Africa Cup of Nations as they look to pick up the pieces and go again.
Having missed out on World Cup qualifiers, Sudan have to re-group and re-focus the team for competitive matches coming on the horizon. The clash with Tanzania will offer a tough examination against a team in good form.
Sudan will use this friendly to assess their progress since being knocked out of the AFCON group stages and the areas they need to address going forward.
Form Guide
Tanzania
In the last five matches, Tanzania have lost two matches against Benin (1-0) and DR Congo (3-0), drew one against Madagascar (1-1), and won two against Benin (1-0)and CAR (3-1).
Sudan
In the AFCON group stages, Sudan lost two matches against Nigeria (3-1) and Egypt (1-0) while drawing with Guinea-Bissau (0-0). They will be looking to bounce back to winning ways against Tanzania.
Possible Starting Lineups
Tanzania
Mnata; H. Mnoga, B. Nondo, D. B. Job, N. Kibabage; F. Salum, B. A. Swakali, N. Dismas; A. Yussuf, K. P. John, M. Samatta
Sudan
Mustafa; M. M, M. Karshoum, E. Hassan, M. Elfadni’ D. Mahjoub, W. K. M. A. R. M. Shambaly; M. A. Y. Yagoub, A. Omer Yagoub, M. Hossein
Players to Watch
M. Samatta
Samatta grabbed a goal in the 63rd minute to help Taifa Stars notch a 3-1 victory over the Central African Republic on Wednesday.
The forward demonstrated his importance to Tanzania with his goal and an all-action performance coming from wide areas to partner K. P. John who plated through the middle.
Samatta is a talisman for Tanzania, given his experience at the top levels of European football, his goal scoring, and his creative play to create dangerous situations in the attacking phase of the game.
Samatta also offers leadership on the pitch, with his robust approach to the game and work rate, which enable him to inspire the rest of the team to high-performance levels.
M. Shambaly
Shambaly plays for Al-Merrikh n the Sudanese league. He is a crucial cog in the 4-2-3-1 system that Sudan typically set up. He is a hard-tackling midfielder that performs in an all-action approach in midfield.
His energy and work rate are essential to the Sudanese team; it helps break up play and start attacks from midfield. His presence in the team allows the four attacking players to have a platform upon which they can cause problems for the opposition.
Shambaly is also crucial in protecting the back four. The Africa Cup of Nations demonstrates that better teams can easily break Sudan’s defensive unit apart. In the clash with Tanzania, the manager will be counting on Shambaly to provide the solidity and work rate required to dominate the midfield area.
Prediction
Playing in front of the home crowd at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, expect Tanzania to play on the front foot and dominate possession.
Taifa Stars will also be full of confidence from their previous 3-1 friendly triumph over the Central Africa Republic heading into the clash with Sudan.
Expect Sudan to be solid in their approach as they seek to frustrate Tanzania. Discipline and work rate will be the core features of the Sudanese performance, emphasizing the defensive phase.
Sudan will seek to leverage transitions and counter-attacks to hurt Tanzania, especially when they commit numbers forward.
Tanzania are favored to win the match given their current form and the home advantage they will enjoy.
Make sure to bet on Tanzania vs Sudan with 22Bet!
