The first Africa Cup of Nations semi-final takes place on Wednesday night, with Burkina Faso and Senegal going head-to-head in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé.
Senegal are now the bookmakers’ frontrunners to win the tournament, having been handed the most favourable route to the final.
Although Burkina Faso are viewed as rank outsiders, they will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds after reaching this stage of the competition.
After finishing second in Group A, Burkina Faso beat Gabon on penalties in the round of 16 before edging out Tunisia in the quarter-finals.
The Stallions have lost just one of their previous 16 games across all competitions, with their sole defeat during that period coming to Cameroon in the group stage.
They head into the semi-finals on a four-match unbeaten streak, having avoided defeat against Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Gabon and Tunisia.
Granted, Burkina Faso have failed to score more than one goal in any of their five clashes in the tournament. But they will be confident of reaching the final.
As for Senegal, they came through the group stage undefeated. After beating Zimbabwe, they registered goalless draws with Guinea and Malawi.
The Lions of Teranga saw off Cape Verde 2-0 in the round of 16, keeping their fifth consecutive clean sheet in the process.
Although they conceded their first goal of the tournament on Sunday, they still managed to beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
Senegal head into the semi-finals on an 11-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, having picked up eight wins and three draws since their last loss.
Head-to-head: Burkina Faso and Senegal have faced each other 13 times over the years. Remarkably, they have produced eight draws since 1987.
Each of their previous three meetings have ended in a draw, while four of their past six encounters have dished up under 2.5 goals.
Team news: Burkina Faso will be hoping that Bertrand Traore is fit enough to start on Wednesday. The Aston Villa forward was only fit enough for the bench last time out.
Senegal could hand a start to Watford winger Ismaila Sarr after he came off the bench to score on his return from injury at the weekend.
Although Senegal are the bookies’ favorites to win this one, Burkina Faso are expected to push the Lions of Teranga all the way.
Forebet predicts that Burkina Faso will hold Senegal to a low-scoring draw after 90 minutes. That means extra-time and/or penalties will likely be required to determine who reaches the final.
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