Burkina Faso vs. Senegal – betting tip, prediction, odds for the Africa Cup match (02.02.2022, 20:00 CET)

Burkina Faso and Senegal will face each other in the first semi-final of the 2021 Africa Cup in Cameroon. This means that the world number 60 and the world number 20 will meet. In other words, the eleventh best side on the continent will challenge the leader in this classification.

On Saturday, Burkina Faso defeated the 30th in the FIFA rankings, Tunisia, 1-0 in the quarter-finals, giving them their fourth win in six international matches. Here, the two exceptions occurred in Group A of the AFCON. There, Kamou Malo’s team experienced a defeat against Cameroon and a draw against Ethiopia. In between, they prevailed against Cabo Verde. Then, the Burkinabe team won against Gabon in the round of sixteen after a penalty shoot-out.

With eight wins and three draws, Senegal are unbeaten in eleven appearances. However, the Lions of Teranga, for example, struggled more than expected in Group B. After a working win against Zimbabwe, they first drew nil-nil against Guinea and Malawi. These teams are to be placed below Burkina Faso and the same applies to their first opponents in the knockout phase. There, Aliou Cissé’s eleven first defeated Cabo Verde before a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea followed on Sunday. The match will be played at the Stade Omnisport de Douala.

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What speaks for Burkina Faso?

  • Has comparatively little to lose in contrast to Senegal
  • Made a sensation in the quarter-finals against Tunisia
  • Has one more day at their disposal

What speaks for Senegal?

  • Won eight of their last eleven internationals so far
  • Played five consecutive matches to nil before the 3-1 defeat to Equatorial Guinea
  • The greater quality and international experience in the squad

Our betting tip:

  • Bet: Under 2.5 goals and both teams not to score
  • Bookmaker: Betway
  • Odds: 1.72

Expert analysis Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso were drawn in Group A and played their opening match against Cameroon. Here, Kamou Malo’s side shocked the hosts with a goal from Gustavo Sangaré of French second division side Quevilly Rouen in the 27th minute. The number 50 turned the score around just before the break thanks to two penalties and in the end prevailed 2-1.

The Stallions responded to their opening defeat by beating 73rd-placed Cabo Verde 1-0 in their second appearance. This time Hassane Bandé, who earns his money in the Croatian 1st HNL at Istra 1961, provided the decisive goal in the 39th minute. After that, the Burkina Faso side initially drew 1-1 twice in the regular time, squandering an advantage just as often.

Cyrille Bayala of another French second division club, AC Ajaccio, scored against 137th-ranked Ethiopia and Bertrand Traoré of Premier League club Aston Villa against 89th-ranked Gabon. In the round of sixteen, it was particularly bitter as the Gabonese side scored in the 91st minute with the help of an own goal and had played with a man less for around 25 minutes. Thereafter, they lost after the penalty shoot-out.

Subsequently, the Stallions did not miss a beat in the quarter-finals on Saturday, where they defeated 30th-ranked Tunisia 1-0 in Garoua. They did so despite Dango Ouattara of Ligue 1 club Lorient becoming the tragic hero with the winning goal in the 45th minute and a red card in the 82nd minute. Due to numerous COVID-19 infections at the AFCON, the Eagles of Carthage fell short of expectations, but Burkina Faso defeated them for the fourth time in seven clashes.

Malo will now consequently be without Dango Ouattara for the semi-final against Senegal. The 19-year-old attacking talent’s suspension is all the more bitter considering that his team’s biggest weakness is their lack of finishing.

Expert analysis Senegal

Senegal beat 114th-ranked Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in their quarter-final on Sunday in Yaoundé. At first glance, that sounds like a sure win, but the Lions of Teranga had more problems than expected. It was their own fault. Because: After Famara Diédhiou of Turkish Süper Lig club Alanyaspor had given them the lead in the 28th minute, they played too much on the back burner.

Only after the equalizer in the 57th minute, the first goal conceded after five games, did Aliou Cissé’s team throw everything forward. And the substitutes Cheikhou Kouyaté of Crystal Palace (68th) and Ismaïla Sarr of Watford (79th), who play in the Premier League, saved Senegal from humiliation. Thus, a common thread continued to run. The best national team on the continent clearly showed less than what it is capable of.

In the 2-0 defeat of Cabo Verde in the last sixteen, Bamba Dieng of Olympique Marseille and Sadio Mané of Liverpool scored in the 63rd and 90th minutes respectively. On this occasion, the lead only came when the opponent had two players less on the pitch. And the first red card happened in the 21st minute.

At least the Lions of Teranga returned to winning ways after two 0-0 draws against 81st-placed Guinea and 129th-placed Malawi. And in their Group B opener against 121st-placed Zimbabwe, Mané converted a 97th-minute penalty for the 1-0. From today’s perspective, Cissé will have the full squad available for the semi-final between Burkina Faso and Senegal.

Head-to-head comparison Burkina Faso vs. Senegal

Burkina Faso and Senegal last competed against each other in September 2017 and in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. On that occasion, the Stallions managed two draws against the Lions of Teranga. A 2-2 in Burkina Faso was preceded by a 0-0 in Senegal. The latter result also the one in the last clash in an Africa Cup so far. At the 2004 edition in Tunisia, Burkina Faso played against Senegal in Group B.

Our betting tip and the best odds

In the Burkina Faso vs. Senegal clash, the eleventh-placed team on the continent challenges the leader in this ranking at first glance. However, the Lions of Teranga gritted their teeth in all previous appearances at the 2021 Africa Cup. Partly because their opponents stepped up a gear, and partly because Mané & Co. took the games lightly for too long.

We therefore expect Burkina Faso to make life anything but easy for Senegal. However, the Stallions’ biggest weakness is their finishing, and Dango Ouattara’s suspension complicates the matter even more. Furthermore, Equatorial Guinea ended a run of five appearances for the Lions of Teranga in which they did not concede a goal.

Burkina Faso vs. Senegal – betting tip: Under 2.5 goals and not both teams score, odds 1.72 at bookmaker Betway

Alice Kopp
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By Alice Kopp

Alice is half Austrian and half Italian. That's why she experienced the 1990 World Cup in Italy at first hand. And that awakened her enthusiasm for football. Since she has loved writing since childhood, Alice began to study journalism while still at school. It was very convenient for her that her class took part in a project of a German daily newspaper. She was also allowed to write for the children's pages of an Austrian daily newspaper and to get a taste of the sports department of the same medium. This is how she received her first press accreditations, which was of course anything but a matter of course for the then 18-year-old. Although she was partly advised against it, Alice decided to study journalism and communication sciences. After a few years, she decided to use the exams she had taken as an elective. Nevertheless, she applies the knowledge she has acquired in her further professional life. The same applies to her language skills. In addition to her mother tongues German and Italian, Alice is also proficient in English and Spanish. She also understands French and can use this language in research. During her studies, Alice was involved in an Austrian football club. At the same time, she wrote for a total of three Austrian portals and worked as an Austria correspondent for an Italian-language online medium. This collaboration started during Giovanni Trapattoni's era at Red Bull Salzburg and continued during EURO 2008. This gave her the opportunity to interact with Trapattoni as well as with Italian journalists. From the following year, Alice initially worked with a Swiss portal before discovering sports betting content for herself. On the one hand, this kept her in sports journalism, and on the other, it broadened her horizons. And that both in the context of the sports betting industry and with other sports as well as countries. In the field of sports journalism, she focused in particular on football from around the world, volleyball and beach volleyball. In addition, she naturally wrote several guides, bookmaker profiles, bonus articles and other content for betting enthusiasts. She did this for the same company for about ten years, writing articles in German and Italian. She also built the Italian-language website together with the managing director. Meanwhile, Alice started working with another Austrian football club. Furthermore, she joined the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS) in 2016. This gives her the opportunity to watch teams and athletes on the ground relatively often. Not only sports betting, but also radio In January 2019, the next step in her professional development followed. For: she started creating premium content on the topic of sports betting. In the process, she finally put out feelers to almost all countries and all continents. And this was not least due to the fact that both German and English-speaking users subscribed to her content. Nevertheless, Alice continued to use her knowledge of Italian, among other things. On the one hand, because she regularly exchanges ideas with Italian colleagues, and on the other, because she works with a web radio station. The Corona crisis had a strong impact on the sports world and on interest in sports betting, primarily in the early days. Therefore, a fresh start was necessary and, on balance, Alice found the fields of activity that suited her best. She also writes articles for an agency on almost all disciplines as well as on eSports and content for a German online medium. Alice is half Austrian and half Italian. That's why she experienced the 1990 World Cup in Italy at first hand. And that awakened her enthusiasm for football.