Tunisia host Mauritania in Radès on Wednesday in the first of three November friendlies that tune the Carthage Eagles for bigger tests ahead, including Brazil later this window. There are no ladder stakes here, but it is a chance for Tunisia to extend strong qualifying momentum and refresh combinations in front of a home crowd.
Tunisia vs Mauritania – team news, lineups
The venue has been a comfortable stage for Tunisia and history reinforces that edge. Tunisia have never lost to Mauritania in 17 meetings, winning 12 and drawing five, with nine clean sheets in the last 13. That tilt suggests a stylistic matchup that regularly breaks Tunisia’s way.
Form context points the same direction. Tunisia completed their World Cup qualifying group unbeaten with nine wins and one draw, scoring freely and conceding none across the campaign, a profile that speaks to control and defensive discipline. This friendly sits at the front of a three-game block against Mauritania, Jordan and Brazil designed to maintain that rhythm.
For Mauritania, the assignment is familiar and difficult. The visitors have shared stalemates at times in this fixture, most recently a 0-0 in January 2024, but they have struggled to turn phases of resistance into wins against Tunisia. Keeping the game compact and limiting clear chances early has been their best route to staying in it.
Styles and tactical hinge: expect Tunisia to lean on their secure back line and patient build, then punch through with set-piece pressure and late runners. The clean-sheet record in qualifying underlines how rarely they allow big chances, which forces opponents to overcommit chasing a breakthrough. Mauritania’s path runs through a low-error first hour and striking in transition when Tunisia push numbers on.
Team news offers Tunisia both stability and a note of caution. Head coach Sami Trabelsi has named a broad squad for this friendly block, though winger Sebastian Tounekti has been ruled out of the camp. With Jordan and Brazil to follow, rotation across lines is likely, but the core defensive unit remains intact. Specific XI calls were left open in local reports on the eve of the match.
Numbers to watch
Tunisia’s qualifying clean-sheet streak across 10 matches is a high-signal pointer toward game control. The H2H ledger of 12-5-0 adds a confirming trend that Tunisia generally manage game states against this opponent.
