Burkina Faso will take on Mauritania in their opening Group D fixture at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday afternoon, with the tie set to take place at Stade Bouake.

Head-to-head: The two nations met on four occasions in all competitions in the past, with Burkina Faso having the slight edge over their upcoming opponents with two victories to their name. Mauritania on the other hand, managed to record just the single win over the Stallions with one stalemate played during this period.

Burkina Faso’s last three results: Burkina Faso claimed two wins and one defeat in their last three matches across the board, which included a morale boosting 2-1 victory against Congo DR in a friendly encounter on the 10^th of January.

Mauritania’s last three results: Mourabitounes on the other hand, recorded one defeat and two consecutive stalemates ahead of the tournament. Goals have been hard to come by for Mauritania in the last couple of months, firing blanks in each of their last three fixtures.

Team news: As a major injury worry for Burkina Faso, national team captain and Aston Villa attacker Bertrand Traore is reportedly nursing a knock he sustained in December 2023 and stands an outside chance of being selected for their upcoming game. As for Mauritania ,Mourabitounes  have reported no injury issues in their camp ahead of the tournament.

Key players:

Burkina Faso: Bertrand Traore – While Traore is a doubt for the upcoming game, the powerful forward remains Burkina Faso’s go-to man in the final-third of the pitch.

Mauritania: Aboubakary Koita – With an impressive 11 goals in just 20 Jupiler Pro League appearances for Sint-Truiden this season, Koita is one of Mauritania’s most in-form players at the moment.

Date: Tuesday, 16 January 2024

Kick-off: 16h00 (CAT)

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com