Sudan – Zambia

Sudan and Zambia square off in the African World Cup 2018 qualifiers second round, with both nations looking to get a positive result going into the second leg. The winner will reach the final round of the qualifiers, the group stages.

The hosts are not in a good moment as a football nation, not that they ever were a strong team. Sudan lost 10 of the last 12 matches they played in all competitions, including friendlies, which is a really bad statistic to have, even though generally they played against good nations. Sudan scored just 1 goal in the last year (5 matches), against Sierra Leone. Not surprising when you consider that their squad is composed exclusively by players from the domestic league, with only 1 or 2 exceptions On the bright side, Sudan has generally done well against Zambia – never losing in three meetings in the World Cup qualifiers and defeating them 2-0 at home last year, only to lose 0-3 by default due to fielding a suspended player.

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Zambia obviously is the better team here and they will feel confident of advancing to the group stage, but the Chipolopolo side doesn`t have all the best players available coming into this match. They also just arrived in Sudan on Tuesday, so they might not be in the best condition ahead of this clash. It won`t be easy, particularly as Zambia is known for struggling on the road, winning in average just once in 3 or 4 matches away from home over the last few years.

Team news: Zambia has only 9 players plying their trade professionally outside the country, a few important players like Lungu are missing and the coach is set to make a number of changes.

This has a draw written all over it as far as I`m concerned. Zambia could hardly be in a worse state coming into this match, as they have squad problems, barely arrived in Sudan and aren`t that good on the road. History against the Sudanese is also against them. On the other hand, Sudan doesn`t seem to have the strength to get a win here.

There`s also the fact that both teams are rather defensive and it won`t be easy for either one of them to break down the opponent. A draw would satisfy everybody – Sudan will get a good result against a top African team, while Zambia will have the chance to book qualification in the reverse leg at home. With all these factors taken into account, my tip on this game is the draw. Prediction: Sudan – Zambia 0-0.

Pick: Draw
Odds: 3.20 @ Bet365
Stake: 4
Possible profit: 8.80
Event date: 11 November