Mozambique VS Ethiopia

The stark contrast in recent competitive form between the two sides stands out as the biggest talking point of this Africa Cup of Nations fixture. Hosts Mozambique have recorded 2 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses across their last 10 outings, with fairly inconsistent overall performances, but the team has hit a clear positive turning point lately. They remain unbeaten in their past two AFCON matches, first claiming a dominant win over Sudan before holding Senegal to a draw, which has lifted both their morale and on-pitch performance level. The home advantage has further boosted their confidence, but the side needs to guard against rash, overaggressive play. They cannot afford to push too high up the pitch blindly just because they have earned points in back-to-back games, and proper control of the match tempo is a key detail they need to nail down. The two sides previously played out a goalless draw in their past meeting, meaning Mozambique will find it far from easy to break through Ethiopia’s defense for simple goals.