Matchday three of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers sees Congo DR welcome Sierra Leone to Stade des Martyrs on Thursday.

While the hosts have recorded wins from their opening two outings, the visitors make the trip still searching for their first point.

Match preview

Following a respectable World Cup campaign that ended in a last-32 exit to England, Congo DR began their quest to reach a fourth consecutive major tournament by beating Equatorial Guinea (2-0) and Zimbabwe (2-1) in September.

These results saw Sebastien Desabre’s men open up a three-point advantage at the top of Group E in the AFCON qualifiers, where many have backed them to finish first given their status as the group’s highest-ranked side by FIFA.

However, Les Leopards saw their momentum checked in October’s back-to-back friendly matches against Uganda, suffering a 2-0 defeat before a 1-1 draw three days later, with both matches played in Johannesburg.

Now seeking to replicate their strong start from the previous African qualifying campaign, which saw them win each of their opening four matches, Congo DR face a Sierra Leone side they have beaten in each of the last three encounters, including both meetings in the 2015 qualifiers

Having started the year on a sour note following their AFCON exit to Algeria, Thursday’s hosts will hope to end 2026 on a high.

Victory in their penultimate outing would secure three consecutive competitive wins for the first time since December and deliver a psychological blow to Sierra Leone ahead of their rematch in El Jadida next Tuesday.

Appointed in June to engineer a turnaround, Didier Gomes Da Rosa has endured a difficult start to his Sierra Leone tenure, suffering two defeats from as many matches - the first of which saw his side squander a two-goal lead against Zimbabwe in a 3-2 loss.

That marked a third consecutive loss for the Leone Stars, who now travel to Kinshasa aiming to avoid four straight defeats in all competitions for the first time since June 15; a run that included a 3-1 loss to their upcoming opponents.

Sierra Leone have not featured at an AFCON tournament since 2021, and their hopes of ending that drought have diminished significantly as they sit bottom of Group E ahead of the double-header against Congo DR.

Sierra Leone’s last competitive victory came against Djibouti in October 2025, so confidence is low within the camp. Nonetheless, the West Africans must show resilience over the next few days to keep their already faint AFCON hopes alive.

A positive start on Thursday would provide a much-needed platform for the visitors to build on, but given Congo DR have scored the opening goal in four of their last five matches, Sierra Leone will need to be especially alert early on.

Congo DR Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying form:

Congo DR form (all competitions):

Sierra Leone Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying form:

Sierra Leone form (all competitions):

Team News

With first-choice goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau still sidelined by an Achilles tendon injury, Matthieu Epolo is expected to keep his place in goal.

Aston Villa full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka also remains unavailable through injury, so Gedeon Kalulu should continue to deputise at right-back, as he did against Uganda.

Captain Chancel Mbemba is closing in on his 120th cap for the hosts and continues to extend his record as the nation’s all-time appearances leader.

Despite scoring just once in 27 appearances this season, Malachi Jones has been called up by Sierra Leone and could make his international debut.

Thirty-one-year-old Sallieu Tarawallie has been directly involved in three goals in his last four outings for the away side and is one to keep an eye on.

Congo DR possible starting lineup:

Epolo; Kayembe, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Kalulu; Kadile, Moutoussamy, Mukau, Mbuku; Wissa, Bakambu

Sierra Leone possible starting lineup:

Jalloh; Tarawallie, Bah, Turay; Fornah, Kanu, Koroma, S Kamara, Kakay; Conteh, M Kamara

We say: Congo DR 2-0 Sierra Leone

Congo DR have a real opportunity to move within touching distance of AFCON qualification, and a win on Thursday is borderline non-negotiable

We expect Desabre’s men to get the job done and extend their perfect record against Sierra Leone.

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