Preview: Mali vs. Burkina Faso

Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations clash between Mali and Burkina Faso, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Seeking to improve upon their past two Africa Cup of Nations performances, Mali will take on Burkina Faso in a round of 16 encounter at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Tuesday.

The Eagles qualified as Group E winners, while the Stallions secured passage to this stage as runners-up in Group D.

Match preview
© Reuters

Unblemished in their AFCON campaign so far, Mali’s adaptability and resolute defending have proven effective, frustrating opponents’ attempts to breach their goal.

Excluding the opening fixture against South Africa (6 shots on target), the Eagles restricted both Tunisia and Namibia to a single shot on target each.

A 2-0 victory over Bafana Bafana, a 1-1 draw against Tunisia and a goalless stalemate with Namibia, helped Mali top their group with five points.

Meanwhile, Eric Chelle’s men have not trailed at any point in this tournament and will aim to maintain that record when they face Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

Historically, Mali have dominated this fixture, boasting an unbeaten record against the Stallions with seven wins, including their only AFCON meeting in 2004, and one draw in eight encounters.

However, despite this historical advantage in this fixture, the Eagles will be cautious, having failed to progress beyond the round of 16 in the past four AFCON editions, with their best performance coming in 1972 when they finished runners-up.

Often considered AFCON dark horses, Burkina Faso have reached the semi-finals or final in three out of the past five editions and are keen to replicate that feat this year.

After claiming a dream run to the 2013 final, they stumbled in the group stage in 2015, while finishing third and fourth in 2017 and 2021 respectively.

Hubert Velud’s men started the group stage with a narrow 1-0 win over Mauritania but faltered in subsequent games, settling for a 2-2 draw with Algeria, before losing 2-0 to Angola.

Despite going through to the next round as runners-up with four points, their performances raised concerns, highlighted by a lack of attacking potency and defensive vulnerability.

However, while they have not been convincing so far and their record against Mali remains abysmal, Burkina Faso’s experience of reaching advanced stages in recent tournaments could prove invaluable on Tuesday.

Mali Africa Cup of Nations form:

Mali form (all competitions):

Burkina Faso Africa Cup of Nations form:

Burkina Faso form (all competitions):

Team News
© Reuters

Mali netted three goals during the group stage, two of which were bagged by Lassine Sinayoko. He’s likely to spearhead the attack again on Tuesday.

Yves Bissouma returned to the starting XIagainst Namibia and is tipped to keep his place.

Bertrand Traore, having found the back of the net for Burkina Faso in the first two matches as a substitute, was rewarded with a starting berth against Angola.

The Aston Villa forward is expected to remain in the starting lineup, while Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara is set to lead the line.

Mali possible starting lineup:
Diarra; Traore, Kouyate, Niakate, Sacko; Dieng, Bissouma, Haidara; Doumbia; Sinayoko, Koita

Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:
Koffi; Yago, Tapsoba, Dayo, Nagalo; Ouedraogo, Toure; Tapsoba, Sangare, Traore; Ouattara

We say: Mali 1-0 Burkina Faso
We anticipate a closely-fought contest between these two teams, but Mali are likely to prevail in the end. The Eagles have demonstrated their defensive solidity, which is often a decisive factor in tournament football.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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