Mali and Burkina Faso are set to face one another within the spherical of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Tuesday. Each groups want to surpass their earlier performances within the event.
Match preview
Mali has been spectacular within the AFCON marketing campaign up to now, with their adaptability and strong protection stopping their opponents from scoring.
They’ve solely allowed one shot on course of their matches in opposition to Tunisia and Namibia, following a 6-shot onslaught from South Africa within the opening fixture.
Mali secured a 2-0 victory in opposition to South Africa, drew 1-1 with Tunisia, and performed out a goalless draw with Namibia, ending on the high of Group E with 5 factors.
Then again, Burkina Faso is named a darkish horse within the AFCON. They’ve reached the semi-finals or closing in three out of the previous 5 editions, and so they goal to copy that success this yr.
Their journey to the ultimate in 2013 was memorable, however they stumbled within the group stage in 2015, ending third and fourth in 2017 and 2021 respectively.
Burkina Faso began the group stage with a slender 1-0 win over Mauritania however struggled in subsequent video games, settling for a 2-2 draw with Algeria and dropping 2-0 to Angola.
Regardless of some issues about their attacking and defensive efficiency, they managed to advance to the following spherical as runners-up with 4 factors.
Traditionally, Mali has dominated this fixture, remaining unbeaten in opposition to Burkina Faso in all eight encounters. This consists of their solely AFCON assembly in 2004, which led to a draw.
Nevertheless, Mali must be cautious as they’ve didn’t progress past the spherical of 16 previously 4 AFCON editions, with their finest efficiency courting again to 1972 once they completed as runners-up.
Contemplating Burkina Faso’s expertise of reaching superior levels in current tournaments and their standing as underdogs, this match guarantees to be a closely-fought contest.
Workforce Information
Mali has proven their attacking prowess through the group stage, with Lassine Sinayoko scoring two out of their three targets.
He’s anticipated to guide the assault once more on this match. Yves Bissouma, who returned to the beginning lineup in opposition to Namibia, is more likely to retain his place.
For Burkina Faso, Bertrand Traore, who discovered the online within the first two matches in its place, earned a beginning place in opposition to Angola. The Aston Villa ahead is predicted to proceed within the beginning lineup, whereas Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth is ready to guide the attacking line.
Doable lineups
Mali: (4-3-1-2)
Diarra;
Traore, Kouyate, Niakate, Sacko;
Dieng, Bissouma, Haidara;
Doumbia;
Sinayoko, Koita
Burkina Faso: (4-2-3-1)
Koffi;
Yago, Tapsoba, Dayo, Nagalo;
Ouedraogo, Toure;
Tapsoba, Sangare, Traore;
Ouattara
Prediction: Mali 1-0 Burkina Faso
We anticipate a closely-fought match between Mali and Burkina Faso, however we imagine Mali will come out on high.
Their strong protection has been a decisive think about event soccer, and it’s more likely to make a distinction on this sport.