It is a West African battle in the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations as Burkina Faso face Senegal on Wednesday. A closely fought contest is predicted but the Senegalese have looked a different side in the knockout phase and should have the upper hand here.
Burkina Faso picked up a 1-0 victory over Tunisia to book their place in the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations. Dango Ouattara struck the only goal in first half injury time before getting sent off late in the contest.
Unfancied at the start of the competition, Burkina Faso have been one of the surprise teams in this year’s AFCON. Kamou Malo’s men have shown great character throughout the tournament and are unbeaten since the 2-1 defeat to hosts Cameroon in their opening fixture.
Although they have scored in every match in Cameroon, Burkina Faso have not been particularly prolific in attack. They also have a habit of giving away chances to the opposition and have conceded four goals in their five matches in the competition.
Senegal have been steady if unspectacular in Cameroon and now have a chance to reach a second straight AFCON final. They ground their way through the group stage but have looked a different side since the start of the knockout phase.
Boasting one of the best attacks in the competition, Senegal struggled to show their quality in the group stage, scoring just once in three matches. However, they have scored five goals in their last two matches and head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of a 3-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea.
One thing that has remained consistent for Senegal throughout the competition is their defensive solidity. Alou Cisse’s men have kept clean sheets in four of their five matches in Cameroon, conceding for the first-time last time out against Equatorial Guinea.
How the bookies view it
Senegal have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 5/6 with Quinnbet to claim the win. A victory for Burkina Faso is valued at 11/2 by Quinnbet while a draw is set at odds of 21/10 by Betfred.
Head to head
Senegal have a 2-1 advantage with four draws from seven previous matches against Burkina Faso. The last meeting between both teams was a 2-2 draw during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Players to watch
Senegal are finally beginning to show their attacking quality with Ismaila Sarr and Famara Diedhiou on target last time out. However, Sadio Mane remains their biggest attacking threat and could be tipped to add to his two goals in the competition at 6/5 with bet365.
At the other end of the pitch, Senegal boast one of the best defences in the competition with four clean sheets in five matches. Centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy can ensure they keep another clean sheet at 5/6 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Senegal’s solid backline, a win to nil could be on the cards at 29/20 with BetVictor. The Senegalese could also be tipped as the only team to score at 7/5 with betway.
Having scored five goals in their last two matches and conceding just one, a -1 handicap can also be considered for Senegal at 13/5 with BoyleSports.
This African Nations Cup match between Burkina Faso and Senegal will be played on Feb 2, 2022 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Burkina Faso vs Senegal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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