Africa Cup of Nations Djibouti vs Liberia – Match Analysis
The road to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations begins as Djibouti takes on Liberia in the preliminary round, setting the stage for an intense battle on Thursday.
Match Preview
Djibouti, ranked 192nd in the FIFA rankings and 52nd in Africa, is one of the lowest ranked teams on the continent and second in the preliminary round standings.
The team, led by Adbourahman Okie Hadi, never qualified for the CAN and only participated in the CECAFA Cup, a competition bringing together teams from central and eastern Africa.
Djibouti has only played one match this year, a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in January.
In their recent performance, they suffered setbacks in their last three matches, suffering a heavy 6-0 defeat to Egypt and a narrow 1-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in the first two qualifying matches of the group stage for the next 2026 World Cup.
On the other hand, Liberia is aiming for its third participation in the CAN after having participated in the 1996 and 2002 editions.
Ranked 152nd in the latest FIFA rankings, which places them 46th out of 54 teams in AfricaMario Marinica’s side have gone winless in eight successive international matches and lost the last five.
Liberia reached the group stage in the final AFCON qualifying series. Their goal this time is to improve on their previous performances.
They need to improve their scoring efficiency as they have failed to score in their last two games.
Liberia won their previous two matches against Djibouti, scoring six goals without conceding.
Recent form
- Djibouti: WWLLD
- Liberia: LLLLL
Possible compositions
Djibouti: (4-3-3)
Luyima;
Farada, Isman, Araita, Warsama;
Aden, Hassan, Hamza;
Mohamed, Dadzie, Akinbinu
Liberia: (4-3-3)
Williams;
Johnson, Dweh, Sangaré, Pabai;
Dorley, Macauley, Kenneh;
Korvah, Jebor, Ledlum
Prediction: Djibouti 0-1 Liberia
Liberia is the strongest team and likely to win this match.
The match will take place on neutral ground at Moroccolimiting home support for Djibouti.
Despite this, it is expected to be a closely contested match as the hosts have shown improvement since their last meeting.
- Prediction: Liberia wins or draws
- Betting Tip: Under 2.5 goals
