The two West African giants will be meeting for the second time in AFCON history, while overall, they have met 41 times, with Senegal leading the head-to-head with 19 wins to Mali’s eight, while 13 matches have ended in draws.
Looking at how the teams performed to reach the last eight, the Eagles made it without winning a game from Group A, while the former African champions finished with seven points in Group D after winning two and drawing one.
Mali’s journey started with a 1-1 draw against Zambia, a 1-1 draw against hosts Morocco and a 0-0 draw against Comoros. In the round of 16, Mali came up against Tunisia, whom they beat 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 outcome in regular and extra time.
Senegal won their opener 3-0 against Botswana and followed it up with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo before finishing the group matches with a 3-0 win against Benin. Their last 16 fixture saw them pitted against Sudan, a fixture they won 3-1.
Mali not afraid
Despite reaching the stage without winning a game, coach Saintfiet is determined to see off Senegal and proceed to win the 35th edition of the AFCON in the North African nation.
“Senegal is one of the biggest teams on the continent. They have been at the highest level for years and are very stable, with great individual quality and strong team cohesion,” said Saintfiet ahead of the game as quoted by CAF Media.
“In 2025, they have only lost once, against Brazil. They beat England and drew with Ireland, very good results for an African team. They are the favorites and we are the outsiders, and we accept that.
“But we have already shown against Morocco and Tunisia that we are not afraid. We also have good players. Our only undoing is not scoring as many goals as we would like, but we are very disciplined when we don’t have the ball.”
The former Mali coach added; “Our plan is ready for Senegal. We have a lot of respect for them and we will do everything possible to stay in this competition until the end.”
Mali has struggled to score goals in the AFCON, and asked about the problem behind it, Saintfiet responded: “In the games we have played, we have created many chances but failed to score.
“Of course, it’s more enjoyable when you win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0, but the most important thing is that we are still here with the seven biggest African nations. I even want to say: I don’t care if we don’t win in open play. I want to qualify at every stage of the tournament.
“I would not mind even a bit to draw all matches and win on penalties until lifting the trophy. In football, you can play very well and still lose 3-2. I prefer to qualify. That’s it. We are in tournament mode.”
Asked to preview Senegal, he said: “They are a team with very good players who have been playing at a very high level for the past 10 years and have a lot of experience.
“The structure and organisation of the Senegalese Football Federation is exceptional and serves as an example for many African countries. Their individual quality is also outstanding, but I trust my team and we are focused on our own strengths. After that, we’ll see if it’s enough or not.”
'This is our moment'
Despite already reaching the last eight, Saintfiet maintained that Mali’s success in the 2025 edition will be complete if they manage to reach their target of qualifying for the semi-finals at the expense of Morocco.
“Before the AFCON, we spoke about reaching the semi-finals, and that remains our objective," explained Saintfiet.
"As a coach and as a player, you always want to win a title. We know it’s not easy. Even reaching an AFCON quarter-final is not simple. In the last five editions, Mali reached the quarter-finals in 2023. Today, we are back in the quarter-finals, which is not bad. But we want more.
“I have experience with the Gambia in Cameroon, where we lost very close to the semi-finals - that hurt. This time, we will do everything to reach the last four. Friday’s match is our final.”
He concluded: “We will do everything to qualify. Our slogan with the players is: 'Our dream, our history, and our moment.' This is our moment. There will not be another opportunity.
“Our dream of becoming champions, our history that we are writing together, and our moment - this AFCON here. We will give everything for that. Hopefully, after Friday’s match, we will stay in Morocco because we love playing this AFCON here and we want to reach the semi-finals.”
A win for Mali would make them the first team in history to reach the last four without winning any of their first five matches in open play at AFCON.
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