DR Congo target third straight win as Sierra Leone visit Kinshasa

The Democratic Republic of Congo will look to strengthen their position at the top of Group E when they host Sierra Leone at the Stade des Martyrs on Thursday in the third round of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

The Leopards have won both of their opening matches, while Sierra Leone are still searching for their first point. Sebastien Desabre’s side lead the group by three points after beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0 and Zimbabwe 2-1 in September.

DR Congo are the highest-ranked nation in the group according to the FIFA rankings and are regarded as the favourites to reach a fourth successive major tournament. Their progress follows an honourable World Cup campaign which ended with a last-16 defeat by England.

Their momentum was checked in October, when they faced Uganda in two friendlies in Johannesburg. They lost the first match 2-0 before drawing the second 1-1 three days later.

The hosts will nevertheless take confidence from their record against Sierra Leone, having won their past three meetings, including both matches in the 2015 qualifying campaign. Victory on Thursday would give DR Congo three successive competitive wins for the first time since December and put further pressure on Sierra Leone before the return fixture in El Jadida next Tuesday.

Sierra Leone’s new manager Didier Gomes Da Rosa, appointed in June, has suffered defeats in both of his matches in charge. His first game ended in a 3-2 loss to Zimbabwe after the Leone Stars had established a two-goal lead.

That result was Sierra Leone’s third defeat in a row. Another loss in Kinshasa would give them four consecutive defeats in all competitions for the first time since June 2015, a run which included a 3-1 defeat by DR Congo.

The Leone Stars have not appeared in the Africa Cup of Nations finals since 2021 and sit bottom of Group E. Their last competitive victory came against Djibouti in October 2025, leaving confidence low before this double-header.

Sierra Leone’s recent qualifying record is two defeats, while their form in all competitions reads win, loss, win, loss, loss, loss. DR Congo’s equivalent records are two wins and, across all matches, win, loss, win, win, loss, draw. DR Congo have also scored first in four of their past five games.

Lionel Mpasi-Nzau remains unavailable with an Achilles tendon injury, so Matthieu Epolo is expected to continue in goal. Aston Villa right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also injured, with Gedeon Kalulu likely to retain his place on the right. Captain Chancel Mbemba is approaching his 120th international appearance and continues to hold the national record.

Malachi Jones has been called up despite scoring only once in 27 appearances this season and could make his international debut. Sallieu Tarawallie, aged 31, is Sierra Leone’s key threat after contributing directly to three goals in his past four matches for the national team.

With home advantage and Sierra Leone struggling for form, DR Congo are tipped to win 2-0. The exact-score selection is priced at 4.60 with Betclic.