Botswana and Cape Verde return to action in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they lock horns in the second of their October double-header on Tuesday.
Having secured a hard-fought victory when the two teams squared off in Praia at the weekend, the Zebras will journey to the Francistown Stadium looking to do the double over the visitors and move into second-place in the table.
Match preview
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Botswana got their quest for a place in Morocco up and running on Thursday as they picked up a 2-0 victory over Cape Verde when the two nations squared off at the Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde.
Despite seeing over 75% of the ball possession and taking over 25 shots in the game, Cape Verde were left empty handed as Tumisang Orebonye's second-minute strike proved enough to hand the visitors all three points.
This was a much-needed result for Didier Gomes Da Rosa's men, who had failed to win any of their previous four matches, including back-to-back defeats against Mauritania and Egypt in their first two games of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
Botswana, who are currently 147th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, will now look to secure consecutive wins for the first time since July 2023 and move into second-place in Group C.
The Zebras have their sights on securing a second-ever AFCON appearance, having first featured in the continental showpiece in 2012, when they suffered a group-stage exit after losing all three games in Group D.
For Cape Verde, Thursday's defeat has seen them crash back down to earth in their quest for a third consecutive AFCON appearance as they have managed just three points from their opening three matches.
Bubista's men reached the round of 16 of the 2021 AFCON, where they fell to a 2-0 loss against eventual winners Senegal, two years before crashing out in the quarter-finals in Ivory Coast.
The Blue Sharks kicked off their quest for a place in Morocco with a humbling 3-0 defeat against Egypt Cairo on September 6 but bounced back four days later courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Mauritania in Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde.
Cape Verde head into Tuesday's clash on a run of four defeats in their last six matches across all competitions, including a 4-1 loss against Cameroon in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where they have picked up seven points from four games to sit third in Group D, one point off top spot.
Team News
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Following a standout defensive display on Friday, we expect Mothusi Johnson, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, Mosha Gaolaolwe and Alford Velaphi to form the Botswana back four, shielding Goitseone Phoko in goal.
Olebogeng Ramotse and Aso Chief midfield Gape Mohutsiwa should team up at the centre of the park once again, while we should see an unchanged two-man attack of Orebonye and 32-year-old Gilbert Baruti.
On the injury front, Township Rollers' man Motsholetsi Sikele was forced off injured in the 84th minute on Thursday and the 32-year-old forward is a major doubt for Botswana.
As for Cape Verde, Ryan Mendes, Gilson Tavares and Gent striker Helio Varela have started the last two AFCON qualifying matches and should handle business in attack once again.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Vitoria de Guimaraes man Bruno Varela should start in goal, with Wagner Pina, Logan Costa, Roberto Lopes and Sheriff Tiraspol's Joao Paulo forming the back four.
Botswana possible starting lineup:
Phoko; Johnson, Ditlhokwe, Gaolaolwe, Velaphi; Boy, Ramotse, Mohutsiwa, Seakanyeng; Orebonye, Baruti
Cape Verde possible starting lineup:
B Varela; Pina, Costa, Lopes; Monteiro, Duarte, Lenini; Mendes, Tavares, H Varela
We say: Botswana 1-2 Cape Verde
Cape Verde will be scratching their head as to how they dropped all three points on Friday despite their dominance in front of tier home supporters. On paper, Bubista's men remain favourites heading into Tuesday and we are backing them to come away with all three points, albeit by a narrow margin.
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