Sport
Preview: Burundi vs. Gabon – prediction, team news, lineups
Sports Mole previews Sunday’s World Cup Qualifying – Africa clash between Burundi and Gabon, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Round two of the CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers sees Burundi play host to Gabon at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides head into this one off the back of victories in their respective opening qualifiers last time out and will be looking to pick up where they left off....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Match preview
© Reuters
Gabon got their qualifying journey off to a perfect start with a 2-1 victory over the Harambee Stars of Kenya at Stade de Franceville on Thursday.
Patrice Neveu’s men fell behind to Masoud Juma’s opener five minutes shy of half time after which they turned the game on its head through strikes from Denis Bouanga and Guelor Kanga.
That was a first win in five matches across all competitions for Les Pantheres since a 1-0 win over Sudan in the AFCON qualifiers back in March.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit who are without a win from the previous five editions of this fixture, albeit with four of them ending in draws.
Looking for what would be only a first away triumph of 2023, Sunday’s visitors now prepare for what is set to be a tough assignment on the road.
Burundi came out on top from a 3-2 thriller against the Scorpions of Gambia when the teams went head-to-head in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.
First-half goals from Abedi Bigirimana and Frederic Nsabiyumva put Etienne Ndayiragije’s men 2-1 up at half time before Abdallah Said made sure of the result 15 minutes from time, rendering Ebrima Colley’s late strike inconsequential.
Consequently, Les Hirondelles currently sit top of their World Cup qualifying group, level on points with Gabon ahead of this weekend’s clash.
Having won each of their last four matches on home turf, Sunday’s hosts have proven themselves to be a real force to reckon with in front of their fans.
Burundi World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Burundi form (all competitions):
Gabon World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Gabon form (all competitions):
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Team News
Abedi Bigirimana has found the back of the net in three of his last four matches for Burundi, making the forward one to keep an eye on this weekend.
Abdallah Sudi was on target within 20 minutes of coming on as a substitute last time out, which could see him rewarded with a starting spot.
Junior Noubi’s involvement for Gabon this weekend currently hangs in the balance after he was hauled off with an injury scare just past the half-hour mark last time out.
Twenty-nine-year-old Denis Bouanga has netted in each of his last six matches for club and country, making him one to keep an eye on.
Burundi possible starting lineup:Nahimana; Kanakimana, Mukombozi, Nsabiyumva, Ndayishimiye; Mvuyekure, Nduwarugira, Ntibazonkiza, Bigirimana; Sudi
Gabon possible starting lineup:Noubi; Obiang, Appindangoye, Ecuele Manga, Oyono; Biteghe, Kanga, Lemina; Bouanga, Allevinah, Babicka
We say: Burundi 0-1 Gabon
The last three meetings between Sunday’s opponents have produced a combined four goals, and we are anticipating another low-scoring affair here. That said, we can see Gabon getting the job done by a narrow margin in the end.For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on captain Martin Odegaard amid his impressive form following the November international break.
The Norway international was sidelined with a hip problem last month and it was followed by another absence due to a head collision in training.
Odegaard made his comeback after the internationals. He had a quiet evening at Brentford last weekend, but was on the scoresheet against Lens on Wednesday.
He carried over the good form into the Wolves game, scoring the vital winning goal in the end.
Aside from his strike, the 24-year-old created three big chances for his teammates and was unlucky to not register an assist or two due to poor finishing.
Speaking after the 2-1 victory over Wolves, Arteta said that Odegaard has had two ‘very very good’ games and he is a ‘really consistent’ player.
The Gunners head coach added that the playmaker tends to fare best against high-pressing sides such as Wolves and he was ‘really good’ today.
He told Arsenal.com: “I thought he had two very, very good games and he’s a really consistent player, he gives a lot especially against teams like that, they didn’t want to defend very close to their own box and I think he was really good today.”
Odegaard has not played with the same creative freedom as last season, but he has still netted seven goals and provided two assists from 18 games.
The Norwegian appears to be picking up his form at the right time and he will be crucial to the Gunners’ chances of challenging for the league title again.
Today’s win has taken the Gunners to 33 points from 14 games. They are four points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.co
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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was back to his best during the 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Gunners made it three league wins on the bounce after beating Wolves at the Emirates Stadium. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring in the sixth minute.
A wonderful bit of team play contributed to Odegaard doubling the lead in the 13th minute.
Arsenal should have been out of sight with the chances in the final third, but they had a nervy finish in the end after Matheus Cunha scored, four minutes from time.
A defensive mishap from Oleksandr Zinchenko paved the way for the goal, but the Gunners managed to hang on for a well-deserved victory over Gary O’Neil’s side.
In our view, Odegaard was clearly the man of the match with one of his best performances of the season.
The Norwegian was inconsistent with his form earlier this campaign, but he appears to be finding his feet at the right time for the Gunners in their title pursuit.
Against Wolves, he had 97 touches with 77 passes at an accuracy of 89 per cent. He had no defensive work to do, but was brilliant with his attacking display.
Odegaard managed six key passes and created three big chances for Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah respectively, but they failed to extend the lead.
The Gunners should have been out of sight with at least a five-goal margin, but they were made to work hard for the victory after a late consolation strike from Cunha.
The win over Wolves has seen the club extend their lead at the top of the table to four points.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
Twenty-year-old Serbian sixth seed Hamad Medjedovic is crowned the Next Gen ATP Finals champion with a captivating victory over Arthur Fils in Sunday’s final.
Twenty-year-old Serbian sixth seed Hamad Medjedovic was crowned the Next Gen ATP Finals champion with a captivating victory over Arthur Fils in Sunday’s final.
Emulating the feats of his compatriot Novak Djokovic in November’s ATP Finals, Medjedovic brought home another trophy to Serbia with a 3–4[6], 4–1, 4–2, 3–4 [9], 4–1 victory in just after two hours.
Medjedovic’s success caps off a stellar breakthrough year for the 2003-born protege, who reached the first round of Wimbledon and the French Open for the first time in 2023 and came close to breaking into the top 100, getting as high as world number 102 in October....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
“I can’t believe I have won this title, but it’s going to give me a lot of confidence for 2024. Arthur is an amazing player; he’s Top 40 for a reason, so I’m really happy,” Medjedovic said on the court.
“It was tough after the first set. I changed my clothes and recovered and started to play good again. I didn’t play good when I had match points in the fourth set. I wasn’t relaxed, I was very stiff. Thank God I recovered and I was just trying to stay relaxed as much as I could and I managed to do it in the end.”
2023 ATP Finals Champion: Novak Djokovic 🇷🇸2023 Next Gen ATP Finals Champion: Hamad Medjedovic 🇷🇸Learning from the best 👀 pic.twitter.com/ie284rcZ3M— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) December 2, 2023
Making a name for himself throughout the tournament with his blistering serves, the Serbian fired 19 aces past Fils throughout the contest and won 88% of points behind his first serve in total.
Medjedovic also kept his mistakes to a minimum, only producing nine unforced errors and 32 winners, as well as saving all four break points he faced against his French foe.
The 20-year-old recovered from a couple of early unforced errors in the fourth-set tie-breaker to bring up two match points, although he failed to take either of them as Fils took the contest to the distance.
However, an inopportune unforced error from Fils on break point allowed Medjedovic to establish an early two-game lead in the fifth set, and the Serbian quintessentially confirmed his champion status with an ace on match point.
Alongside his Next Gen supremacy, Medjedovic also took home three Challenger level titles in the 2023 season, as well as getting to the semi-finals of the Astana Open and Swiss Open on the ATP Tour.
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