Mali coach hints at starting fringe players

[Shola Sholaz]

Mali coach Patrice Carteron will consider fielding many of his fringe players with limited Africa Cup of Nations game time when the team take on Ghana in the playoff for third and fourth places at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
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The Eagles will hope history is repeated when they battle the Black Stars on Saturday for the bronze medal.
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Ghana defeated Mali 2-0 in the first round of the 2012 championship only for the losers to bounce back and win the third-place playoff by the same scoreline, courtesy of a Cheick Tidiane Diabate brace.
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'' Of course the players were dissappointed losing to Nigeria, but they have to be realistic that it is a good thing that they are playing this game '', Carteron said on Friday afternoon.
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'' I'm going to put the best team on the field tomorrow, but I have to take care of the situation. Most of the players gave 100 percent and are very tired both mentally and physically ''.