Burkina Faso will be meeting Gabon in round 16 of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations competition in Cameroon.
Burkina Faso qualified after placing second in their group with 7 points. A group that consisted of Cameroon, Cape Verde and Ethiopia. For Gabon, they missed out on the last edition of the competition but they have been very delightful to watch this time around. They achieved their target of qualifying for the next round.
Getting a total of seven points was enough to book them a ticket to the next stage of the competition after winning against Comoros and drawing against both Ghana and Morocco. This encounter promises not to be an easy one as these two nations would battle each other. Football fanatics around the globe are highly anticipating the outcome of this game.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Venue: Limbe Stadium
Date: Sunday, January 23, 2022.
Time: 4:00 PM
TEAM NEWS:
Burkina Faso:
Prior to the commencement of the competition, Burkina Faso had some of their players testing positive to covid-19 but this time around all players are free from Covid-19 and are set to feature in this game. Also, players are free from injury.
Gabon:
After Gabon FA released two of their players to join their clubs, all other players are fit to feature in this showpiece. Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang and Mario Lemina were the two players who were released to join their clubs after recovering from covid-19.
No fresh injury concerns have been recorded yet.
PRE-MATCH ANALYSIS:
Burkina Faso:
Burkina Faso is most likely to set up in their normal 4-2-3-1 formation, playing a double pivot to protect the back four and also control the game. Burkina Faso would see much of the ball as 3 attacking midfielders will be in front of their double pivot to create a lot of chances for the lone striker in the attack.
Gabon:
Gabon is adapted to play with different systems but the most suitable for this game is a 3-back system they have mostly used in this competition. They like to create overloads in the midfield and stay compact. Gabon depends on their pacey wingers to score goals and most of their goals in this competition have emerged from counter-attacks.
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS TO FEATURE:
Burkina Faso:
Bertrand Traore, who plays for Aston Villa, is one player you cannot certainly overlook in this showpiece. The 29-year old plays wide as an attacking midfielder and has an eye for goal and chance creation. He’s very efficient on the ball and dribbles very well. His presence in the game would help his team create a lot of chances and possibly win a lot of set-pieces for his side. He’s a very good set-piece specialist too.
Gabon:
For Gabon, the absence of Aubamenyang continues to leave a void in attack and once again, the team would need to find a way to create goal scoring opportunities and score without their all time top-scorer.
PREDICTED LINE-UP:
Burkina Faso: Hervé Kouakou Koffi; , Edmond Tapsoba, Issoufou Dayo , Steeve Yago, Issa Kabore; Adama Guira, Blati Toure; Bertrand Traore, Gustavo Fabrice Sanagre, Cyrille Bayala; A Tapsoba
Gabon: Jean-Noël Amonome; Anthony Oyono, Bruno Ecuele Manga, David Sambissa; Louis Ameka Autchanga, André Biyogo Poko, Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali, Johann Obiang; Jim Allevinah; Denis Bouanga, Aaron Boupendza
MATCH PREDICTION:
Burkina Faso 1-1 Gabon
