Burkina Faso will take on Mauritania in the African Cup of Nations on Tuesday. The Stallions have advanced to the final in two of the last three Africa Cup of Nations. They are hoping to continue their strong recent performance. The Lions of Chinguetti want to win the competition for the first time.
Preview (Burkina Faso vs Mauritania)
Burkina Faso are sometimes regarded as an AFCON dark horse. They have advanced to the semifinals or final in three of the previous five competitions. They advanced to the 2013 final, lost in the group stage in 2015, and were not present in 2019. Their trip to the Ivory Coast was not without incident. After three straight wins in qualification, they were winless in their final three games, which was frustrating. They nevertheless managed to maintain their lead in the group over Cape Verde, Togo, and Swaziland.
On the field, the Stallions enter the tournament with a winning record. They triumphed over DR Congo 2-1 in their final warm-up game. They won three of their previous five games in all competitions. Internal strife within the football association, however, may prove to be a problem. Burkina Faso and Mauritania have played in a friendly as recently as October 2023. They have two victories and a draw from their four meetings, this will be their first-ever meeting in the AFCON. Getting a good performance in the first game is critical.
Since 2019, Mauritania has qualified for three AFCONs in a row, however, they have not yet emerged victorious from the competition. But their tenacity and perseverance in overcoming Gabon and Sudan to get to Africa’s largest football tournament shows that they are a team not to be taken lightly. After overcoming previous obstacles, such as sanctions following their withdrawal from the 2010 qualifications, Mauritania has recently made notable progress off the field, which has resulted in better performance on the field.
Team News
Aston Villa’s Bertrand Traore, who has 17 goals in 74 appearances for his nation, will hope to bounce back from an injury soon and lead Burkina Faso in its quest for the country’s first-ever major tournament victory. Another player to keep an eye on is Dango Ouattara of Bournemouth, whose collaboration with Eric Badolo has been quite successful.
The 27-man team that coach Abdou unveiled for Mauritania is full of well-known players. It includes captain Aly Abeid, midfielder Ibrahima Keita of TP Mazembe, former Guingamp defender Guessouma Fofana, Hemeya Tanjy, and the recently retired Bakary N’Diaye, who has been called up to the national team. Watch out for winger Aboubakary Koita, who turned down the opportunity to play for Senegal or Belgium in favor of representing Mauritania in 2023. The prolific goal scorer has made just 20 Jupiler Pro League games for Sint-Truiden this season, but he already has an outstanding 11 goals.
Burkina Faso 1-0 Mauritania
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