Tunisia will begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Tuesday, with a fixture against the Cranes of Uganda in a Group C encounter.
After a disappointing outing in the last AFCON, which saw them ousted in the group stages of the competition, the Carthage Eagles know how crucial a good start could be to their campaign.
With Sami Trabelsi in charge, the Tunisians have shown promise in recent times, a fact which is highlighted by the form they showed during the 2026 World Cup qualification, which saw them win nine games and draw without conceding a goal.
Although they disappointed in their recent Arab Cup campaign, getting eliminated in the group stage, they come to AFCON unbeaten in three fixtures, including two victories and a draw.
And with Nigeria also in the same group, a win against will be the first step in burying the ghost of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
For Uganda, they had a decent qualification campaign, and they will be hoping to leave a lasting impression on the competition this time.
Having only managed to reach the last 16 in 2019, their first target is to get past the group stage and see how far they can go in the competition, but they have their work cut out in a difficult group.
That said, they will still fancy their chances of taking on the traditional powerhouses in Tunisia and later Nigeria.
In terms of form, they will enter the competition with a relatively decent form with three wins and two losses, one of which is a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Morocco in their last friendly in preparation for the tournament.
How the bookies view it: The bookmakers are backing Tunisia
The bookmakers have Tunisia installed as favourites with odds of 3/5 on Betano, highlighting the quality within the Tunisian squad.
Uganda have longer odds of 5/1, meaning they have a lower chance of ensuring success on Tuesday, while the odds for a draw have been set at 5/2.
While Uganda is expected to put up a fight, Tunisia should claim all three points at the end of hostilities.
Recent head-to-head: Tunisia have dominted this fixture
In the last three head-to-head meetings, Tunisia have emerged victorious in all three meetings, and they could further extend their run of good results against the Cranes.
Players to watch: Allan Okello
While Tunisia has a squad brimming with quality, a player who could make headlines on Tuesday is Uganda's Allan OKello, who plies trade with SC Vipers in native Uganda.
In his last 10 appearances for the Cranes, he has scored five and assisted four goals, making him one to look out for.
Probable line-ups
Tunisia will come into this contest with a healthy squad, but the regulars under Trabelsi are expected to be named in the starting XI.
Uganda also have also their players available for selection, with the likes of Denis Onyango being one of the players expected to feature for Uganda.
Tunisia: Dahmen; Meriah, Bronn, Valery, Talbi, Abdi; Sassi, Gharbi, Ouanes; Saad, Mastouri
Uganda: Onyango; Sibbick, Mukundane, Obita, Herbert; Semakula, Aucho; Lorenzen, Ikpeazu, Okello; Mukwala
Anything else that catches the eye?
Tunisia have only failed to score in one of their last nine matches, meaning they have a robust attack, and they are more than likely to find the back of the net on Tuesday.
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