Tournament debutants, Guinea-Bissau, held their fort to snatch a point from hosts, Gabon, on Saturday, to inflict a huge blow to their dreams of winning the African Cup of Nations on home soil – however, they stand a chance of salvaging that hope as they face Burkina Faso today.
Star player and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang played his role with a second half opener, but the defence couldn’t keep the underdogs at bay, eventually conceding a 90th minute equalizer through defender, Juary Soares. Fortunately for Gabon the clash between Burkina Faso and Cameroon ended 1-1 too, leaving the group wide open with two games left to play.
The Panthers failure to win on Saturday made it 4 draws on the bounce for them and five without a victory. Burkina-Faso on the other hand after their draw with Cameroon, leaves them with a record of one win, two draws, and two defeats in their last five matches – with their positive results coming against largely weaker teams than Gabon.
Dortmund Star, Piere-Emerick Aubameyang is confident ahead of the clash and has reveled that his side has learnt from their mistakes.
“We have learnt from our mistakes. Mistakes were made against Guinea-Bissau, like conceding a goal in the final minute. We must now rectify those errors and defeat Burkina Faso “
“I remain positive that we can reach our first goal, which is qualifying for the knockout phase. We have lofty ambitions in this tournament and playing at home in front of our wonderful supporters is a great advantage. ” captain and striker Aubameyang said.
Gabon vs Burkina Faso: Head-to-Head Stats:
Gabon have won three, drawn three, and lost one of their seven previous meetings with Burkina Faso.
Players to Watch :
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the star of the show for Gabon, with him hoping to add to his 22 international goals here after netting in the competition opener. Other key players include Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina, and Sunderland midfielder Didier N’Dong. Although he was almost non-existent in their game against Cameroon,Jonathan Pitroipa is always a threat for Burkina-Faso and they will be hoping for an improved performance this time round. ASEC Mimosas’ forward, Aristide Bancé is also one to watch if he’s selected.
The encounter which promises to be exciting will be played at the Stade de L’Amitie in Libreville, today at 4PM local time.
By: Louis Mensah
