injury-hit this month’s African Cup of Nations finals has forced Mali to select Sirine Doucoure, a striker from Lorient, and Boubacar Traore, a midfielder from Wolverhampton Wanderers, in their team.
After a brief loan stint, Traore moved to Wolves from Metz in France last year. Traore played junior ball for Mali, where he won the 2019 African under-20 tournament.
Doucoure has only scored one goal in Ligue 1 this season and has often been a substitute.
Read Also:AFCON 2023: Peseiro Replaces Injured Ndidi With Yusuf
Both players were added as replacements to Coach Eric Chelle’s 27-man roster, which was announced before the deadline on Wednesday. Chelle will be missing numerous important players for the Ivory Coast.
While Atalanta striker El Bilal Toure is currently recovering from a major thigh injury, Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure is sidelined following surgery for an Achilles tendon injury.
Ibrahima Kone, who is based in Spain, Racing Lens fullback Massadio Haidara, and former Southampton winger Moussa Djenepo—who is currently at Standard Liege in Belgium—are all out.
Mali will play a friendly match against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday in Bamako advbefore crossing the border to Ivory Coast, where they will take on South Africa in Group E on January 16. In the group stage, they will also face Namibia and Tunisia.
Mali AFCON 2023 Squad
Goalkeepers:
Aboubacar Doumbia (Afrique Football Elite), Djigui Diarra (Young Africans), Ismael Diawara (Malmo)
Defenders:
Amadou Dante (Sturm Graz), Moussa Diarra (Toulouse), Mamadou Fofana (Amiens), Boubacar Kiki Kouyate (Montpellier), Sikou Niakate (Sporting Braga), Falaye Sacko (Montpellier), Hamari Traore (Stade Rennais)
Midfielders:
Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur), Mohamed Camara (Monaco), Lassana Coulibaly (Salernitana), Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly), Kamory Doumbia (Stade Brest), Amadou Haidara (RB Leipzig), Diadie Samassekou (Hoffenheim), Adama ‘Noss’ Traore (Hull City), Boubacar Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Forwards:
Fousseni Diabate (Lausanne Sport), Nene Dorgeles (Salzburg), Sirine Doucoure (Lorient), Moussa Doumbia (Al Adala), Sekou Koita (Salzburg), Youssoufa Nikaite (Bani Yas), Lassine Sinayoko (AJ Auxerre), Ibrahima Sissoko (Saint Etienne).