Wednesday’s AFCON qualifiers: Benin vs Rwanda & Sierra Leone vs São Tomé and Príncipe.
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Benin vs Rwanda
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Can either side give their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying hopes a major boost?
Benin are currently bottom of Group L, having lost 3-1 to Senegal and then 1-0 to Mozambique last June.
Given that the Squirrels have appeared at four AFCONs before, reaching the 2019 quarter-finals, most would’ve expected them to take second place.
Rwanda meanwhile held Mozambique to a 1-1 draw before a 1-0 defeat to Senegal, conceding a 98th minute penalty in the latter.
The Wasps sole major tournament appearance came 19 years ago, but a win in Cotonou would put them in a great position to change that.
Sierra Leone vs São Tomé and Príncipe
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A must win match for Sierra Leone in their quest for Africa Cup of Nations qualification.
The Leone Stars ended their 26-year wait for an AFCON appearance last year, but are now desperate to secure back-to-back qualifications.
So far in this campaign, Sierra Leone have been beaten 2-1 in Nigeria, before a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Guinea-Bissau.
In the latter, they came from 2-0 down to snatch a point, with Augustus Kargbo and Musa Noah Kamara on target.
Given that those two are likely to be battling it out for second, their matchday six showdown in Bissau in September will be decisive.
São Tomé and Príncipe meanwhile are Africa’s lowest-ranked nation, ousting Mauritius 4-3 in the preliminary round just to get this far.
Then, back in June, Adriano Eusébio suffered two heavy defeats in this group, smashed 5-1 by Guinea-Bissau and then 10-0 by Nigeria.
Amazingly, the latter isn’t even their record defeat, previously demolished 11-0 by Congo in 1974.
So, if Sierra Leone harbour any hopes of a top two finish, they simply must beat São Tomé and Príncipe in Morocco.
