24 March 2011
We will bring you live coverage of all the goals as they go in around the continent on both Saturday and Sunday!
The top two will lock horns in Dakar on Saturday as Senegal host Cameroon, the winner of which will top Group E.
– Senegal v Cameroon, 26th March, Dakar
– DR Congo v Mauritius, 27th March, Kinshasa
The clash in Dakar between Senegal and Cameroon is one the biggest matches taking place in round three of the group qualifiers because the top two teams of Group E will fight it out for top spot, while DR Congo will be looking for their first win over minnows Mauritius.
At the moment Senegal top the group after two wins from two matches, which included a 4-2 victory over DR Congo and a 7-0 grubbing of Mauritius in their last qualifier on the ninth October 2010. This sees them as the top goalscorers in the group having netted 11 times, which is seven more than their closest counterparts Cameroon.
The Indomitable Lions are lying second in the group on four points, this after a 3-1 win over Mauritius and a disappointing 1-1 draw with Dr Congo in their last qualifying match.
The result against Congo for Cameroon sees them under a lot of pressure ahead of their match against Senegal as the Indomitable Lions will want a favourable outcome from the meeting to strengthen their chances of reaching the 2012 African Cup of Nations finals.
There is a fair amount of history between the two countries as they have faced each other in ten previous meetings. Of those matches Senegal have won four games to Cameroons three and outscored them by ten goals to eight. The last three matches, however, have seen the Cameroonians run out victorious with their last meeting being a friendly match played in 2005 in Creteil, the Lions winning 1-0.
Still, the last time the two teams met in Senegal they played to a goalless draw in 2000. Nonetheless, that is unlikely to happen this time round as both teams like going forward and are, on occasion, vulnerable at the back. At present 27 places separate Senegal (69th) and Cameroon (42nd) on the FIFA World Rankings, but that will not stop the home side from upsetting the books on Saturday.
The other match in Group e sees two of Africas minnows in action as DR Congo hosts Mauritius in Kinshasa on Saturday. Not many would expect an upset in this one as Mauritius seem to be the whipping boys of the group having conceded ten goals in two matches.
For Dr Congo they will be going into the match inspired after earning a deserved point against Cameroon in their last qualifying match. With that in mind the men from Congo will also be looking for their first win of the qualifying campaign.
In terms of history there is not much between the two as they have only faced each other three times since 1974 and the DR Congo have won all three of those games scoring a total of 11 goals. Their last meeting was a FIFA World Cup qualifier on the 16th June 1996; Congo won 2-0 at home. In terms of World rankings, 69 places separate DR Congo (123rd) and Mauritius (191st).
Congo are definite favourites to pick up the three points and have also had more playing time of late. They have played five matches in 2011 and won three of them compared to Mauritius whose last international match was the 7-0 loss to Senegal in October 2010.
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