Preview Of Match-day 3 and 4 Of Cameroon 2021 Africa Nations Cup Qualifiers 

  Preview Of Match-day 3 and 4 Of Cameroon 2021 Africa Nations Cup Qualifiers By Editor It's a week short of a year ago when the last set of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers were played across the continent. No thanks to Covid-19 which caught up with Africa just about the scheduled Matchday 3 last March, football at the national level have been in limbo at the competitive level. In the next eight days, 48 matches will be played in the 12 groups to mark Matchdays 3 and 4, while the remaining two rounds of the qualifiers will come up in March next year. The top two teams in each group will be in Cameroon in January 2022 when the 33rd edition of the continent's flagship competition kicks off. Cameroon 2021 (as the finals will still be called) will be the first time that as many as 24 teams will be competing for the title, which Algeria won in Egypt in July last year. Nigeria, the third-best team of Egypt 2019, have to wait till Friday to take the stage against Sierra Leone in Benin City. Group A: Guinea v Chad Republic (5 pm) Guinea and Mali are joint leaders of this group having won one and drawn another match. They have the same statistics. With Mali hosting Namibia on Friday, Guinea's Syli Nationale will have the advantage if they overcome hapless Chad, who lost their first two games of the group campaign. Guinea's best performance in the competition is winning the silver medals in 1976 when the finals featured a group format of four teams, including eventual winners Morocco, bronze medallists Nigeria and Egypt. Group E: Mauritania v Burundi (5pm) Mauritania are rubbing shoulders with group favourites Morocco as both sides go into this Matchday with four points each. The Moroccans host Central African Republic on Friday. Mauritania and Burundi took their bow in the finals last year in Egypt and ended at the bottom of their respective groups. Burundi are chasing their first points after two matches. Group F: Cape Verde Islands v Rwanda (5 pm) Cape Verde have two points from two matches, while Rwanda have none. Rwanda are hoping to return to the finals since their debut in Tunisia 2004, while Cape Verde were at the 2013 and 2015 editions. Group G: Kenya v Comoros Islands (5 pm) With two points from two matches, Kenya welcome group leaders Comoros Islands, who have garnered four points so far. Comoros have never been to any of the finals and will do themselves a favour to have good results before they go on to meet Egypt in the closing stages of this phase. Kenya had featured in six AFCONs but never advanced beyond the group stage. Group I: Senegal v Guinea-Bissau (5 pm) Last year's finalists Senegal have acquitted themselves by winning their first two games and looking forward to add Guinea-Bissau to their list of victims. Guinea-Bissau qualified for the last two editions of this competition but crashed out at the group stage both times. The other teams here - Congo Republic and Eswatini - go into action tomorrow. Group J: Libya v Equatorial Guinea (8 pm) Libya trail Tunisia in this group by three points. Since the log leaders will not play until Friday when they host Tanzania, victory will draw the Mediterranean Knights level on points with their fellow north African side. Equatorial Guinea's two appearances in the finals were when they co-hosted with Gabon in 2012 and three years later as sole hosts. From being quarterfinalist the first time, they did better in 2015 by being No 4 in the tournament. Major international friendlies: Netherlands v Spain, Belgium v Switzerland, Italy v Estonia, Germany v Czech Republic, Portugal v Andorra (all 8:45 pm); France v Finland (9:10 pm)