Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea level on points in Group E

A tight Group E contest

Equatorial Guinea travel to Harare level with Zimbabwe on four points after three matches in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, but sit one place lower in Group E, in third. Zimbabwe are second on goal difference or other tie-breakers, so this fixture gives both sides a chance to strengthen their position in a four-team group.

Zimbabwe’s home scoring meets Equatorial Guinea’s away record

In this competition, Zimbabwe have scored once and conceded twice in their one home match. Equatorial Guinea have scored none and conceded twice in their one away match. That offers Zimbabwe a possible route to an advantage, although both teams’ home-and-away samples are limited to a single game.

Across all three matches in the competition, Zimbabwe have scored four and conceded four, while Equatorial Guinea have scored once and conceded twice and kept two clean sheets. A pattern to watch is whether Zimbabwe can find a goal against an Equatorial Guinea side that has kept opponents out in two of its three qualifying matches.

A recent stalemate

The teams drew 0-0 in Equatorial Guinea on 12 November, their most recent meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Neither side has won in the one meeting covered by the recent head-to-head record.

Our prediction

Zimbabwe’s home scoring figures give them a potential edge, but Equatorial Guinea’s two clean sheets in three competition matches point to a difficult test for the hosts. A Zimbabwe win or a draw looks possible, while the visitors’ defensive record leaves an away result in contention too.