The "Eagles" of Mali, despite the fact that they play home, will not have the favour of forecasts for the CAN they are going to host from 19 January to 10 February whose draw is scheduled for Saturday.

With a team of young talents in the likes of Seydou Keïta (Lorient D1 France), Adama Coulibaly (LENS D1 France), 3rd in 1999 during the Junior World Championships, the 2002 team will find it hard to do better than its precedent finalists in 1972 in Yaoundé (Cameroon) and 4th in 1994 in Tunis.