Madagascar will square off against Eswatini in the group stage of the COSAFA Cup at Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium on Monday. Both teams are back in the competition for the first time since 2022.
Barea got their campaign underway with a 1-0 win over Tanzania last week. Toky Niaina Rakotondraibe scored the only goal of the match in the 29th minute. They play DR Congo in a friendly on Sunday but will likely field a second-fiddle squad.
Sihlangu Semnikati are back in action for the first time since March. They played out a goalless draw against Cameroon and were held to a 3-3 draw by Mauritius four days later.
Interestingly, both teams were eliminated from the quarterfinals in the 2022 edition of the competition.
Barea got their campaign underway with a win last week and will look to continue that form here. Interestingly, they are winless in five COSAFA Cup meetings against Sihlangu Semnikati and will look to improve upon that record.
Eswatini have drawn their two games in 2025 thus far and will look to bounce back with a win here. They have failed to score in three of their last five games in all competitions, which is a cause for concern.
Considering the current form of the two teams, we back Barea to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Madagascar 2-1 Eswatini
Tip 1: Result - Madagascar to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes