Burkina Faso will be looking to cause an upset when they face tournament favourites, Senegal in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Cameroon on Wednesday.
The Stallions are in buoyant mood after defeating a strong Tunisia side 1-0 in their quarter-final clash on Saturday with Dango Ouattara scoring the all-important goal for the West African side.
The narrow win earned Burkina Faso their fourth appearance in the semi-finals and they are now hoping to reach the final of Africa's most prestigious football tournament for the second time.
Coach Kamou Malo's side will come up against a formidable Senegal side which has hit form at the right time having brushed aside giant slayers, Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in their quarter-finals on Sunday.
Prior to that, the Lions of Teranga had secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Cape Verde in the Round of 16 as they kept their hopes of winning their first-ever Afcon title on track.
The West African side is making their sixth appearance in the semi-finals and they are eager to reach back to back finals having lost to Algeria in the 2019 final.
| Game | Burkina Faso vs Senegal |
| Date | Wednesday, February 2 |
| Time | 21:00 SA Time - (19:00 GMT) |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
| Online Streaming | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| DStv.com/DStv Now App https://www.showmax.com/eng/welcome/za | SuperSport TV's PSL channel 202/SuperSport TV's Variety 3 channel 208 |
Squads & Team News
BackpagePix.Burkina Faso will be without two key attackers when they face their West African rivals with Dango Ouattara suspended after being sent off against Tunisia, while Djibril Ouattara is also expected to miss the game due to an injury which he picked up in the same match.
Malo could bring in Russia-based centre forward Mohamed Konate and Aston Villa star Bertrand Traore as the abovementioned duo's replacement in the starting line-up.
Traore - Burkina Faso vice-captain - was surprisingly an unused substitute against Tunisia, but Malo is most likely to unleash the experienced forward, who scored as they defeated Gabon in the Round of 16 and he could be the man to inspire the Stallions to the final.
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Backpagepix.
Meanwhile, Senegal have no suspension concerns and they are yet to report any injuries in their camp ahead of the West African Derby encounter.
It will be interesting to see whether coach Aliou Cisse will hand Cheikhou Kouyate a starting berth after the former Lions of Teranga captain came off the bench to score the team's second goal which restored their lead against Equatorial Guinea.
Sadio Mane, who provided a sublime assist against Equatorial Guinea, will carry the Lions of Teranga's hopes of reaching the final. The Liverpool star grabbed a goal and an assist the last time he faced Burkina Faso which was in September 2017.
Match Preview
In Head-to-Head stats, Burkina Faso and Senegal will meet for the 13th time across all competitions.
The Lions of Teranga have the edge in this rivalry as they have recorded three wins compared to the Stallions' two, while seven matches ended in draws.
The two sides have met twice in the Afcon finals with Senegal securing a 3-1 win in a Group C match at the 2000 tournament in Nigeria, before the two teams drew 0-0 in a Group C clash at the 2004 edition in Tunisia.
The last meeting between the two teams was in September 2017 and Burkina Faso held Senegal to a 2-2 draw in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier in Ouagadougou.