Burkina Faso out to dispatch Angola

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Friday Jun 09, 2017. 13:30

Burkina Faso will meet Angola in their first 2019 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Group I qualifier on Saturday at home as they look to clinch a win.

The Burkinabe will be motivated by their 2017 run in Gabon as they managed to upset the continent by finishing as number three.

Despite having a wonderful run in the tournament, they succumbed to a penalty shoot-out loss to Egypt in the semi-finals.

However, they beat the Black Stars of Ghana 1-0 in the third-place play-off to ensure they claimed the bronze medal.

Apart from their good run in the tournament, Paulo Duarte's men also lost 3-0 to Chile and drew 2-2 against Benin in their friendlies ahead of this encounter.

The Angolans, on the other hand, have failed to reach the previous two editions of Afcon, in 2015 and 2017, and will now hope to reach the tournament in Cameroon.

After playing two friendlies against South Africa and Mozambique in March, the Palancas Negras saw their two friendlies against Cape Verde and Kenya cancelled.

For the coach, Beto Bianchi, this means his charges may not be fully ready to face the Burkina Faso Stallions on Saturday.

However, key players such as defenders Bastos and Linguinha will be expected to lead the team and get something out of the encounter.

Stade du 4-Août in Oudadougou will stage the encounter at 20:00 (CAT).