In search of their first win in Group H of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, Togo and Congo go head to head at the Stade de Kegue on Saturday.
Having lost their opening two games, the hosts find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table, while the visitors are one point above courtesy of an opening-day draw with Namibia.
Match preview
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Following a 3-1 victory over Comoros in the first qualifying round, Togo were condemned to a 2-0 loss versus Senegal in their Group H curtain-raiser on September 1.
After heading into the interval with the scores level, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up upped the ante in the second half as Sadio Mane opened the scoring in the 56th minute, before Abdou Diallo completed the rout with an 80th-minute strike.
Claude Le Roy's men failed to find their feet in their subsequent outing as they were beaten 1-0 by Namibia in Lome four days later.
Twenty-eight-year-old forward Elmo Kambindu came up trumps for the Brave Warriors as he scored the only goal of the game eight minutes after the half-time break.
Togo, who are winless in eight of their most recent 10 outings across all competitions, have lost six games and picked up one draw since the turn of the year.
Meanwhile, Congo were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw against Namibia in their group opener on September 2.
That was followed by a 3-1 defeat to group favourites Senegal at the Stade Alphonse Massamba-Debat a little under one week later.
After Boulaye Dia and Silvere Ganvoula scored for either side to end the first half level, Ismaila Sarr put Senegal ahead in the 82nd minute before Mane made sure of the result from the penalty spot five minutes later.
Congo are winless in five of their last six games in all competitions, with a 1-0 friendly win over Niger on June 9 being the only exception.
However, they will fancy their chances of ending their dry spell this weekend, as they take on an out-of-sorts opposing side who are currently 44 places below them in the FIFA World Rankings.
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Team News
Togo have called up a 26-man squad for their double-header against Congo, including Lyon goalkeeper Malcolm Barcola, Nouadhibou defender Kangnivi Ama Tchoutchoui and Manama Club's Adewale Olufade.
Kodjo Fo Doh Laba has 11-goal involvement in his last six appearances at club level and the Al-Ain forward will be one to look out for on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Congo will take to the pitch without the services of defender Raddy Ovouka, who is currently recuperating from an injury.
Shenzen forward Thievy Bifouma, who leads the nation's all-time scoring charts, has been overlooked by manager Valdo Filho once again, meaning Silvere Ganvoula could lead the attack for the third game running.
Togo possible starting lineup:
Barcola; Nya-Vedji, Djene, Agbozo, Moussa; Aholou; Nyuiadzi, Tchakei, Henen; Laba, Fessou
Congo possible starting lineup:
Mafoumbi; Tsouka, Rozan, Kibamba, Mazikou; Makouta, Avounou, Makoumbou; Mboungou, Ganvoula, Tchibota
We say: Togo 1-1 Congo
Togo and Congo have struggled to get going in recent outings and currently find themselves separated by just one point in the bottom half of the Group H table.
Considering they head into the game in similar form, we anticipate the spoils will be shared as both sides set up a defensive barricade to avoid dropping more points.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Togo win with a probability of 44.63%. A win for Congo had a probability of 30.52% and a draw had a probability of 24.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Togo win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.35%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.17%) and 2-0 (7.32%). The likeliest Congo win was 0-1 (7.48%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.71%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.7% likelihood.
