Seychelles welcome Gabon to the National Sports Complex for a Group F clash in the CAF World Cup qualifiers. The home side are still seeking their first win of the campaign while the visitors are aiming to maintain the pressure on the leaders.
It has been a difficult qualifying campaign for Seychelles, who appear to be out of their depth in Group F. They are currently bottom of the table, having lost all six of their matches, including a 5-0 thrashing in Burundi in their previous fixture.
Beyond the qualifiers, Seychelles’ overall form has been suspect as they are winless in their last 12 matches in all competitions. Ralph Jean-Louis’ men have been beaten 11 times on this run, failing to score in the last two on this run.
In contrast, Gabon are battling at the opposite end of the table and currently sit one point behind leaders Cote D’Ivoire. Thierry Mouyouma’s men have won five of their six fixtures, earning a 2-1 victory over Kenya last time out.
Gabon have travelled well lately, winning two of their last three away matches, including a 2-0 victory at Guinea Bissau in a friendly in June. They have been solid defensively lately, keeping clean sheets in seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Details to come……
Head to head: Gabon dominated first meeting
The only previous meeting between the two teams was the first leg clash, which ended 3-0 in favour of Gabon.
Players to watch: Auba the man
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the all-time leading scorer for Gabon and will be the one to watch on Wednesday. With Denis Bouanga also featuring in attack, the West Africans could be backed to produce over 1.5 goals.
Gabon are also solid at the other end of the pitch, with Bruno Ecuele Manga and Aaron Appindangoye playing at the back. Having had shutouts in seven of their last four matches, both men can lead the visitors to a clean sheet.
Probable line-ups
Ian Ah-Kong should maintain his position in goal for Seychelles, with Markus Payet and Alfie Walters lining up in defence. Elie Sopha should continue in midfield while Brandon Labrosse is expected to lead the line once again.
Loyce Mbamba is expected to start between the sticks on Wednesday, with Ecuele Mange and Appindangoye continuing their partnership in central defence. Mario Lemina is set to start in the heart of midfield, while Bouanga and Aubameyang should start up front.
Anything else catch the eye
Gabon have scored in both halves in their last four matches. Seychelles have failed to score in their last two matches, while the visitors have won to nil in three of their last five matches.
The West Africans have won both halves in two of their last four matches and had a similar result in the reverse fixture.
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