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Preview: South Sudan vs. Mauritania – prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s World Cup Qualifying – Africa clash between South Sudan and Mauritania, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
The action continues in Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as South Sudan and Mauritania go head to head at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade on Tuesday.
Having suffered opening-day defeats, both sides will head into this one looking to pick up a morale-boosting result and get their campaign up and running....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Match preview
© Reuters
South Sudan were no match for Senegal on Saturday evening as they suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the reigning African champions in their Group B curtain-raiser.
Aliou Cisse’s men turned in a performance of the highest quality at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade as goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lamine Camara and a brace from Sadio Mane saw them claim all three points on home soil.
With Saturday’s result, the Bright Stars have now lost each of their last four competitive matches, conceding 12 goals and scoring just twice since a 2-1 victory over Congo in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers back in March.
This poor run saw South Sudan’s dreams of a first AFCON appearance come to another disappointing end as they finished rock-bottom in Group G after claiming just three points from their six qualifying games.
While Nicolas Dupuis’s men will be looking to stop the rot and get their quest for a first World Cup appearance up and running, they will have to show their mettle against Mauritania who are unbeaten in their previous two encounters.
Both sides squared off over two legs in the World Cup qualifiers back in October 2015, with the Lions of Chinguetti claiming a 1-1 draw in Juba six days before claiming a comfortable 4-1 victory at Nouackchott’s Stade Olympique.
Like Tuesday’s hosts, Mauritania were denied a dream start to their World Cup qualifying campaign as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Congo DR last Wednesday.
Following a goalless first half at the Stade des Martyrs Brentford’s Yoane Wissa found the back of the net in the 62nd minute to put the hosts in front before Theo Bongonda put the result beyond reach with an 81st-minute strike.
This was a first defeat in three competitive games for Amir Abdou’s men, who secured two back-to-back victories over Sudan and Gabon respectively in their final two games of the AFCON qualifiers.
Having picked up 10 points from their six qualifying matches, Mauritania finished runners-up in Group I to secure a third consecutive AFCON appearance since missing out in 2017.
In their final outing of the year, the Lions of Chinguetti will be looking to pick up a morale-boosting victory before locking horns with Burkina Faso when the Africa Cup of Nations takes centre stage in January.
South Sudan World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
South Sudan form (all competitions):
Mauritania World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Mauritania form (all competitions):
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Team News
Despite their humbling defeat against Senegal, we expect Dupuis to name a similar starting XI, with Tito Okello, Valentino Yuel and 22-year-old Ajak Riak leading the South Sudan attack once again.
Jackson Dwang, Chol Daniel and former Wellington Phoenix man Manny Achol should retain their roles at the heart of the park, while Peter Maker Manyang and Wani Ivan Adebo should form the centre-back pairing once again.
Off the back of an injury-free game against Congo DR, we expect Mauritania to field an unchanged starting side on Tuesday.
Should that be the case, Khadim Diaw, Mohamed Dellahi Yali, Hassan Houbeib and Ibrahima Keita should form the defence line once again, with Guingamp’s Babacar Niasse starting in goal.
Bodda Mouhsine was handed his 25th senior cap for Mauritania last time out and the FC Nouadhibou man should retain his role in midfield, alongside 30-year-old Guessouma Fofana.
Up top, Pape Ibnou Ba should spearhead the Lions of Chinguetti’s attack, forming the front two with Hemeya Tanjy, who has five goals in 35 international appearances since his debut in January 2018.
South Sudan possible starting lineup:Mawith; Toha, Manyang, Adebo, Atendele; Dwang, Achol, Daniel; Okello, Yuel, Riak
Mauritania possible starting lineup:Niasse; Diaw, Yali, Houbeib, Keita; Koita, Mousine, Fofana, Mahmoud; Ba, Tanjy
We say: South Sudan 0-1 Mauritania
South Sudan and Mauritania have both stumbled into the qualifiers and will head into Tuesday’s game in search of a pick-me-up. The Bright Stars have lost their last four competitive matches and we see them struggling against Abdou’s men, who have won three of their last five outings.
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 under 2.5 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.Under 2.5:curl
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Erik ten Hag hails “very important” Harry Maguire after summer exit talk

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag praises central defender Harry Maguire for turning his Red Devils career around....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has hailed Harry Maguire for his contribution to the team’s recent impressive results in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have won each of their last three league fixtures against Fulham, Luton Town and Everton, keeping clean sheets in all three games.
Maguire has been a vital player for the 20-time English champions in recent weeks, playing the full 90 minutes in each of their last six Premier League games, which have brought five wins.
The England international was heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford over the summer, with West Ham United believed to have had an offer accepted for him.
However, the 30-year-old decided to stay at Man United to fight for his place, and the ex-Sheffield United youngster is now first pick in the middle of the defence.
© Reuters
Maguire’s form is keeping Raphael Varane out of the side, and there is an argument that Ten Hag’s first-choice centre-back pairing will be Maguire and Lisandro Martinez once the latter has returned from injury.
Jonny Evans had been featuring alongside Maguire before picking up an injury, with Victor Lindelof now filling in as the left-sided centre-back.
Ten Hag has lavished praise on Maguire for ‘fighting back’ from a difficult period, hailing the centre-back’s “mentality” and “very important” contribution to the team’s recent success.
“Absolutely. Very important. And he fought back and he showed great mentality. He can be proud of himself. But as I say: we are in a season, we are in the right direction,” Ten Hag told MUTV.
© Reuters
“Harry is in the right direction with this team. Now we make the next steps because we want to be successful and Harry is very ambitious. He wants to win trophies. So then, you know, you have to give every day your best.”
Maguire is now set to remain at Old Trafford, especially as there is huge uncertainty surrounding the futures of Varane, Evans and Lindelof.
Varane is believed to be keen to leave the Red Devils next year, with a number of clubs from Saudi Arabia said to be keeping a close eye on his situation.
Both Evans and Lindelof only have contracts until next June, meanwhile, although it is thought that a 12-month extension will be activated in the latter’s deal.
Scott McTominay is another player who was heavily linked with a move away from Man United over the summer, but he has also been vital for Ten Hag in recent weeks, coming up with four goals in all competitions.
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Sport
Newcastle United rise to fifth with deserved win over Manchester United
Newcastle United jump to fifth in the Premier League table with a deserved 1-0 win over Manchester United at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United made it three successive wins against Manchester United in all tournaments for the first time in over 100 years with a deserved 1-0 Premier League victory over the tepid Red Devils at St James’ Park.
A succession of chances came and went for Eddie Howe’s men in the first half, but Man United’s luck ran out when Anthony Gordon fired home early in the second half to sink Erik ten Hag’s team – who were second best all afternoon – although a concerning injury to Nick Pope partially marred the Magpies’ success.
While a decimated Newcastle side put out the exact same XI from their Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain, a handful of changes from Ten Hag saw Anthony Martial, Kobbie Mainoo, Diogo Dalot and the returning Marcus Rashford come into the fold....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
However, Ten Hag’s alterations did little to stem the flow of a rampant Newcastle, who saw almost all of the ball in the opening stages and came close in the 18th minute through Miguel Almiron, but Andre Onana was equal to his low effort.
Alexander Isak and Jamaal Lascelles both came close in the few moments that followed; the former had a strike deflected wide by Harry Maguire before Lascelles headed over the bar, which was then shaking in the 40th minute as Kieran Trippier’s free kick landed just an inch too high.
Newcastle’s shot counter displayed a whopping 14 as the referee’s whistle blew to signal half time, but Man United’s clean sheet remained intact, mainly thanks to their hosts’ wastefulness in the final third.
Any harsh half-time words from Ten Hag clearly did not have the desired effect, as Newcastle finally made one of their many forays forward pay in the 55th minute, where Gordon gave the hosts a fully merited lead.
The sloppy Red Devils were punished for losing the ball in the defensive third, allowing Trippier to flash a low ball across the six-yard box, where Gordon was on hand to tap home at the back post.
© Reuters
The ex-Everton man’s opener saw him stretch his St James’ Park scoring streak to four successive Premier League matches, and Ten Hag responded by calling upon Antony and Rasmus Hojlund in place of the ineffective Martial and Rashford.
Man United’s alterations did little to spark any life into the meek visitors, who were indebted to Aaron Wan-Bissaka for making a crucial block to deny Lewis Miley in the 78th minute, but it was Fabian Schar’s turn to deny Sergio Reguilon from scoring a sensational volley with a terrific block of his own four minutes later.
As Pope dived to meet Reguilon’s blocked shot, though, the Newcastle number one injured himself and stayed down as Man United built their next attack, which was stopped in its tracks to allow the stricken Pope to receive treatment.
The Englishman was able to rise to his feet, but he was evidently struggling with his shoulder and slowly trudged off to be replaced by ex-Man United loanee Martin Dubravka.
The Newcastle number two had only been on the field a few moments before an Antony volley flew past him and into the back of the net, but Maguire – whom the ball took a nick off – was in an offside position, and the linesman’s flag came to the hosts’ rescue.
The Red Devils were granted nine minutes of additional time to try to find a leveller, but Newcastle stood firm to leapfrog their visitors into fifth spot in the table, bumping Ten Hag’s men down to seventh in the process.
Newcastle have four full days to rest up before a trip to Everton on Thursday, while Man United will return to their Old Trafford headquarters to meet Chelsea on Wednesday.
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Sport
Kobbie Mainoo ‘set to double Manchester United wages’
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly set to double his wages at Old Trafford on account of becoming a first-team regular for Erik ten Hag....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly set to double his wages at Old Trafford following his first-team breakthrough.
The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the Red Devils’ setup but was denied the chance to make an impression in the early stages of the 2023-24 campaign due to an ankle injury sustained in pre-season.
Mainoo took months to recover from the affliction, but the teenager has since exited the treatment room and was trusted by Erik ten Hag from the first whistle in last weekend’s 3-0 Premier League win over Everton.
Mainoo – who made his debut for the Red Devils against Charlton Athletic in a January EFL Cup clash – received high praise for a performance well beyond his years and was then brought off the bench for his Champions League debut against Galatasaray a few days later.
Sofyan Amrabat was given the nod in Europe instead of Mainoo, but the Fiorentina loanee was overlooked for the youngster in Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United, where the Red Devils fell to a 1-0 defeat.
© Reuters
Amid Man United’s indifferent form on the field and protracted takeover saga, Mainoo has been a shining light for the 20-time English champions, and his rapid rise is now set to be rewarded.
According to the Daily Star, Mainoo is currently on a modest £10,000 per week at the Theatre of Dreams, but his salary will soon double to £20,000 per week owing to a clause in his contract.
Back in February, the Red Devils tied the 2005-born lynchpin down to a new long-term deal until the end of the 2026-27 campaign, with the option of an additional 12 months.
Rather than Man United agreeing another fresh deal with Mainoo, the midfielder’s existing terms apparently include a clause stipulating that his wages will double in size once he becomes a first-team regular.
The report adds that Mainoo’s salary increase has not been triggered just yet, but he is “close” to taking home an extra £10,000 per week, and he would already be on a higher wage had he not spent a couple of months in the treatment room.
© Reuters
The 18-year-old – who has been with the club since the age of nine – completed 80 minutes of Saturday’s showdown with Newcastle, which was his sixth first-team appearance for the Red Devils.
However, Mainoo and his Man United teammates were run ragged by Newcastle, who deservedly picked up a 1-0 win in freezing temperatures thanks to a second-half Anthony Gordon goal.
Having also been beaten by the Magpies in this year’s EFL Cup and a 2-0 loss at St James’ Park in the 2022-23 Premier League, Man United have now suffered three successive defeats to Newcastle in all competitions for the first time since January 1922.
The Red Devils’ sixth league loss of the season has bumped them down to seventh place in the Premier League table, and the visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford is next up for Ten Hag’s troops on Wednesday.
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