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Algeria will square off against Burkina Faso at the Stade Bouaké in the second group stage match of the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 (AFCON) on Saturday.
Algeria, the 2019 champions, were held to a 1-1 draw by Angola in their campaign opener as their winless run at the AFCON extended to four games. Baghdad Bounedjah broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, assisted by Youcef Belaïli. Bounedjah almost doubled the lead for his side but his outrageous overhead strike was ruled out after the player was flagged offside.
Angola came back stronger in the second half and their persistence was rewarded in the 68th minute as substitute Mabululu converted from the penalty spot to level the scores.
Burkina Faso left it late against Mauritania in their campaign opener with Bertrand Traoré scoring the match-winner in the sixth minute of added time. They were awarded a penalty following a VAR check and the Aston Villa striker made no mistake in converting from the spot.
Algeria vs Burkina Faso Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met 18 times across all competitions thus far in official games. These games have been contested closely between the two teams, with the 2019 winners having a narrow 7-6 lead in wins and five games ending in draws.
- They last met in the CAF 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2021, with the two meetings ending in draws.
- They have met twice in the group stage of the AFCON. Algeria recorded a 2-1 win in the 1996 edition and Burkina Faso avenged their loss in 1998 with a 2-1 win.
- The Stallions have scored at least once in their last 15 games at the AFCON.
- The Desert Warriors have failed to score in two of their last five appearances at the AFCON and have kept two clean sheets in these games as well.
Algeria vs Burkina Faso Prediction
The Fennec Foxes are unbeaten in their last 13 games across all competitions but saw their winning streak come to an end after four games in their campaign opener, playing a 1-1 draw. They are winless in their last four games at the AFCON, scoring just twice while conceding five times.
Head coach Djamel Belmadi is not expected to make any changes to the starting XI and will hope that star player Riyad Mahrez steps up in this match after a quiet day at the office in the campaign opener.
Les Étalons have an impressive record at the AFCON and have reached the semi-finals in their last two appearances in the 2017 and 2021 editions. They have suffered just one loss in their last seven games across all competitions, scoring at least once in six games in that period.
There's nothing much to separate the two teams at the moment and, considering their performance in the campaign opener, a low-scoring draw might ensue.
Prediction: Algeria 1-1 Burkina Faso
Algeria vs Burkina Faso Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Baghdad Bounedjah to score or assist any time - Yes
