On Wednesday, Ethiopia will be leaning on their home advantage and an almost entirely domestic-based squad to maintain hope of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations. Hosting Madagascar, the Walias know that they are capable of taking down the visitors with Malagasy captain Anicet Abel admitting that Ethiopia outplayed the island nation in their previous encounter in Madagascar. Unfortunately a lack of finishing led to a 1-0 defeat for Ethiopia in that match which will be an issue recently appointed head coach Webetu Abate is hoping to fix.
Hatrick Sport’s Ebawak Tesfaye details the Ethiopia national team news and squad going into the match, noting that Egyptian Premier League star Shimeles Bekele is the only foreign-based player but one who will be counted on to deliver a standout performance. Tesfaye gives a list of the home side’s potential impact players and analyzes how Ethiopia might look under Abate.
