Mercurial Mali and the equally unpredictable Guinea go head-to-head at the African Nations Cup finals in Franceville on Tuesday, looking to set a positive tone for the tournament.
Mali, with a bevy of world stars, were among the favourites at the last edition in Angola two years ago but after a dramatic start in the opening match crashed spectacularly and did not make it past the opening stage.
Guinea did not qualify for the 2010 finals but were quarter-finalists for three successive tournaments from 2004 to 2008.
With Ghana expected to take top place in the group, this match could well decide second place, although both Mali and Guinea will feel they could beat the Black Stars if on form.
Mali have less of a profile this time round without the likes of Mahamadou Diarra, Momo Sissoko and Frederic Kanoute in their squad.
Their new leader is the Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita, runner-up in the recent African Footballer of the Year pool. He is only just returned from a self-imposed exile, having shunned the Mali side for 20 months after the Angola experience.
Keita leads something of a new-look team which has also been hit by injury in recent weeks.
"When a player is injured, it is always regrettable. But we have to carry on," said the Mali coach, former France World Cup star Alain Giresse. He was in charge of Gabon for two years, including the last tournament in Angola, and will have knowledge of local conditions.
Guinea's coach Michel Dussuyer is also a Nations Cup veteran and speaks confidently of his team's chances of success at the tournament.
He says he has picked a side of players who are regulars at their clubs, which is not always the case with African internationals playing in Europe.
"They've had a maximum time to play but it is always a problem when you have a team of expatriate players because you don't have much time to work with them," he added.
"Our objective is to get past the first round but it is not something that will be easy."
Guinea's highest profile star is silky midfielder Pascal Feinduono, but there is no doubt he is now past his best. He also recently left his club in Switzerland and is not sure of a berth in the Guinea starting line-up on Tuesday.
