Africa Cup of Nations 2012: Pre Match Preview of Third Quaterfinal Gabon Vs Mali

Riding high on the support of their vociferous home fans, co-hosts Gabon have reached this far in the tournament and will challenge Mali for a semi-final place on Sunday.

It is only the second time that the Panthers have gone this far at the Africa Cup of Nations. They finished on top of a three-team group at the 1996 Afcon following the late withdrawal of Nigeria.

This time, however, the Gabonese have looked very impressive  and they have been tipped by a couple of analysts to pull a shock victory at the end of the competition.

Mali on the other hand have looked shaky at best when faced with big odds. After winning their first game against Guinea, they crumbled to Ghana before edging debutants Botswana to a 2-1 win.

All the same, it is a big improvement for the Malians who crashed out in the group stages at the 2010 Afcon. However, they are still far from eclipsing their best ever runners-up record, which they enjoyed in 1972.

Gabon and Mali are expected to serve up a delicious meal of football on Sunday in Libreville. The two sides are young and hungry for glory. While the Panthers have been more convincing during their three straight victories in the group phase, the pressure will be greater on Mali, as they have struggled to get this far.

However, it is the knockout stages and anything can happen. Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be back at his best considering his three goals so far while Mali veteran midfielder Seydou Keita, who got the winning goal against Botswana, will lead from the middle.

Facts about two Opponents:

• Only 90 minutes stand between Gabon and their first ever trip to the semi-final of an Afcon tournament.

• The Panthers won each of their group matches against fancied Tunisia, Morocco and Burkina Faso.

• Gabonese authorities have decided to give out tickets to fans for free in order to increase attendance at matches.

• Mali have not reached the semi-finals of the Afcon since 2004, when they came fourth.

• The Eagles refused to collect bonuses from the Malian FA when they qualified for the tournament as a sign of how committed they are to playing for their country.

• The west Africans are ranked 22 places ahead of the co-hosts on the Fifa world hierarchy.

Last Five matches of Gabon and Mali:

Last Five Matches

Gabon
Jan 31, 2012	Gabon 1 - Tunisia 0	ACN
Jan 27, 2012	Gabon 3 - Morocco 2	ACN
Jan 23, 2012	Gabon 2 - Niger 0	ACN
Jan 16, 2012	Gabon 0 - Sudan 0	FR
Nov 10, 2011	Gabon 0 - Brazil 2	FR

Mali
Feb 1, 2012	Botswana 1 - Mali 2	ACN
Jan 28, 2012	Ghana 2 - Mali 0	ACN
Jan 24, 2012	Mali 1 - Guinea 0	ACN
Feb 8, 2011	Cote d'Ivoire 1 - Mali 0	FR
Jan 18, 2010	Mali 2 - Malawi 0	ACN