A clash between two regular deep runners at the Africa Cup of Nations opens Group E on Wednesday afternoon, as Burkina Faso face Equatorial Guinea at the Mohammed V Stadium.
The Stallions reached the semi-finals in three of their last five appearances, while the Red Devils reached the quarter-finals in three of their four appearances.
Both sides will also look to better their round of 16 exits from the previous edition, though progress may prove difficult in a group that includes tournament favourites Algeria, with Sudan viewed as the outsiders.
Ranked 62nd in the world, Burkina Faso sit 35 places above their opponents and will hope that gap shows on the pitch, especially with confidence lifted by strong recent results.
The 2013 AFCON runners-up arrive unbeaten in six matches, winning five and drawing one, and warmed up with a convincing 3-0 success over Benin in a November friendly.
Equatorial Guinea have found results harder to come by, losing three of their last five games, including a forfeit against Malawi during World Cup qualification.
Their latest outing ended in a 2-0 friendly loss to Madagascar, yet the National Thunder have a habit of outperforming expectations at AFCON and should not be underestimated.
How the bookies view it: Burkina Faso clear favourites
Burkina Faso are strongly favoured at 5/6 on William Hill, while Equatorial Guinea are priced at 18/5, with the draw available at 21/10.
Recent head-to-head: Goals hard to come by
Only one goal has been scored across three meetings between the sides, with Burkina Faso winning 1-0 in 2011, while clashes in 2015 and 2023 ended goalless.
Players to watch: Nsue aim for another AFCON exploit
Pierre Landry Kabore has struck six times in his last two internationals for Burkina Faso and carries an obvious threat heading into this opener.
Emilio Nsue remains Equatorial Guinea’s standout figure after finishing as top scorer at the last tournament and will again be central to their hopes.
Probable lineups
Both Brama Traore and Juan Micha have named their 25-man squads for the tournament, with no late withdrawals reported ahead of this Group E opener.
Burkina Faso’s selection is built around a strong European core, led by Sunderland winger Bertrand Traore, who captains the side and is expected to set the tone in attack.
Equatorial Guinea also head into the contest fully prepared, with their squad confirmed following Micha’s reinstatement after the brief suspension linked to the Malawi boycott.
Burkina Faso: Koffi; I Kabore, Tapsoba, Djiga, Kouassi; Zougrana; Ouattara, Ouedraogo, I Toure, Irie; B Traore
Equatorial Guinea: Owono; Akapo, Obiang, Coco, Ndong; Ganet, Eneme; Asue, Salvador, Nabil; Nsue
Anything else that catches the eye
Only one of Equatorial Guinea’s last five matches produced more than two goals, while Burkina Faso enter unbeaten in six, making a cautious combination appealing. A Burkina Faso win or draw paired with under 2.5 goals looks well supported by trends and is priced at 4/5 on Betano.
None of the previous three meetings featured goals at both ends, which aligns with recent defensive records on either side. Burkina Faso’s consistency makes them hard to oppose, even if goals remain limited.
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