Burkina Faso and Cape Verde begin their hunt for a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations when they square off at the Stade de Marrakech in Group B of the qualifiers on Thursday.
The Blue Sharks head into the weekend on a fine run of three consecutive victories across all competitions, while the hosts will be looking to end their four-game losing streak.
Match preview
Burkina Faso were condemned to a second consecutive friendly defeat in their most recent outing on March 29 when they were beaten 3-0 by a rampant Belgium side.
In a one-sided affair at the Lotto Park, Hans Vanaken and the Premier League duo of Leandro Trossard and Christian Benteke all found the target as Roberto Martinez's side cruised to a comfortable win.
This followed a humbling 5-0 defeat at the hands of Kosovo when the two nations went head to head at the Pristina City Stadium on March 23.
Prior to both friendly defeats, Hubert Velud's men played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Cameroon in the third-place playoff of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations back in February before losing 5-3 on penalties.
Les Etalons, who are now seeking a fourth AFCON appearance, will fancy their chances of ending this dry spell as they go up against an opposing side against whom they have won each of their last three meetings, scoring seven goals and keeping three clean sheets in that time.
Cape Verde, meanwhile, maintained their fine run of results last time out when they claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory over San Marino in their third and final friendly fixture in the month of March.
Oostende midfielder Kenny Rocha Santos broke the deadlock inside the opening 18 minutes before 24-year-old forward Papalele put the result beyond doubt with a 56th-minute strike.
Prior to that, the Blue Sharks picked up a similar 2-0 victory over Guadeloupe on March 23 before steamrolling Liechtenstein 6-0 at the Pinatar Arena Football Center two days later.
Bubista's men's last competitive outing came on January 25, when they suffered a round-of-16 exit from the Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of a 2-0 loss at the hands of eventual winners Senegal.
Cape Verde will now look to keep the juggernaut rolling and replicate their fine run in the 2022 AFCON qualifiers, where they finished runners-up in Group F following an unbeaten campaign.
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Team News
The Burkina Faso Football Federation announced the departure of head coach Kamou Malo back in April, with French tactician Hubert Velud taking over the vacant seat.
The 62-year-old former Reims goalkeeper has called up a 25-man squad for the upcoming qualification games, including Charleroi goalkeeper Herve Koffi and the defensive duo of Issa Kabore and Bayer Leverkusen man Edmond Tapsoba.
Thirty-year-old Issoufou Dayo, who boasts 60 senior caps under his belt, is one of eight defenders in the squad, alongside Steeve Yago who turns out for Aris Limassol in the Cyprus top flight.
Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore, who has scored 13 goals in 66 international appearances, has joined up with the squad and should team up with Ajaccio forward Cyrille Bayala at the attacking end of the pitch.
As for Cape Verde, 25 players have been named for the games against Burkina Faso and Togo in June, including Rocha Santos, who opened the scoring against San Marino last time out.
The 22-year-old should team up with Chaves midfielder Kevin Pina at the centre of the park, while we could see a back four of Steven Pereira, Edilson Borges, Logan Costa and Joao Paulo Fernandes shielding Marcio da Rosa in goal.
Twenty-six-year-old Lisandro Semedo, who made nine appearances for Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie, should spearhead the attack, teaming up with veteran forward and former Dijon man Julio Tavares.
Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:
Koffi; Yago, Dayo, E Tapsoba, Guiebre; Guira, B Toure, Sangare; B Traore, Bayala, D Ouattara
Cape Verde possible starting lineup:
Rosa; Pereira, I Tavares, Fernandes, Borges, Lopes; Rocha Santos, Pina, Duarte; Semedo, J Tavares
We say: Burkina Faso 1-1 Cape Verde
Both sides head into the game in contrasting form, with Cape Verde winning each of their most event three games on the trot. While Burkina Faso are the superior side on paper and will be looking to arrest their slump in form, we are backing the visitors to hold out for a share of the spoils.
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