Cape Verde vs Burkina Faso: Unprecedented encounter in TotalEnergies AFCON

The Paul Biya Stadium in Olembe will host on Thursday from 19:00 GMT the Cape Verde vs Burkina Faso match, counting for the second day of Group B of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations TotalEnergies, Cameroon 2021.

This is the first encounter between Cape Verde and Burkina Faso in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.

A meeting already capital for the Burkina Faso's Stallions after their opening defeat against Cameroon, the host country. Indeed, Gustavo Sangaré's teammates will play all their cards against the Cape Verdeans to relaunch in the competition and hope for a place in the next round.

For the Burkina Faso coach, Kamou Malo, who returns to the team after a few days of absence due to COVID-19, the match against Cape Verde will be decisive. "We have recovered several players for our meeting on Thursday. We will play with all our strength to win this match and go as far as possible," said Burkina Faso coach.

For their third appearnce in TotalEnergies AFCON, Cape Verde want to do better than in 2013 when the Blue Sharks reached the quarter-finals. The Cape Verdeans who had a good start in Cameroon last Sunday with a "short" 1-0 victory against Ethiopia, hope to repeat their performance tomorrow against Burkina Faso, even if their mission will not be easy, said assistant coach Humberto Bettencourt. "We have some absentees, of course, but we have made a good preparation for this match against Burkina Faso and we will play a different game than the first match to try to win the three points and thus secure a place in the next round of competition ", said the Cape Verdean technician.

After their 1-0 victory in their first match, Cape Verde can remain undefeated in their first 2 matches in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, having also done so in their 2 previous appearances (2 draws in 2013 and 2015).

What they said before the game:

Humberto Bettencourt (Assistant coach, Cape Verde):

"Burkina has a different game compared to Ethiopia and we have prepared for it. We are able to play a very good game while respecting our opponent. We have a few players who are COVID positive but we are going to do with that and present a team that will challenge Burkina Faso in the best conditions ".

Ryan Mendes (Cape Verde Player):

"The preparation takes place in the best conditions. Against Burkina Faso, it will be a different match against a great team and it's up to us to create the game to be at the top. Our primary objective is to get through the group stage and do better than in South Africa 2013. It is not easy to prepare for a tournament without a few players because of COVID but it is a parameter that affects all teams participating in the tournament ".

Kamou Malo (Burkina Faso coach):

"I missed the team's first game because of COVID. The result was disappointing even though the team did well. We are preparing well for our game against Cape Verde. We have a group of young players who can all give a plus. against Cape Verde, it will be my baptism of fire in a major competition such as TotalEnergies AFCON. I am very happy to join my team again and be a coach in this kind of tournament ".

Issoufou Dayo (Burkina Faso Player):

"We calmly prepared for Thursday's match against Cape Verde. The most important thing for us is to win our match and thus better tackle the rest of the competition. We keep our chances to qualify. The whole group is focused to reach our goals".