Seeking to pick to successive victories for the first time since March 2022, Sierra Leone take on Burkina Faso at the Stade du 26 Mars in Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Monday.
The Stallions, who have lost each of their last four matches since January, will head into the game looking to stop the rot and move into second place in the group standings.
Match preview
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Burkina Faso were denied consecutive wins in the World Cup qualifiers as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against seven-time African champions Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Thursday.
A quick-fire double from veteran midfielder Mahmoud Trezeguet put the Pharaohs in a commanding lead inside the opening seven minutes before Lassina Traore pulled one back with a 56th-minute effort.
Burkina Faso had kicked off their World Cup qualifying journey with a 1-1 draw against Guinea-Bissau on November 17, four days before cruising to a 3-0 victory over Ethiopia at the Stade El Abdi.
With Thursday's result, Brama Traore's men have now lost each of their last five outings across all competitions, including a 2-1 defeat against Mali in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round-of-16 back in January.
This poor run of results has been owing to their defensive vulnerability as the Stallions have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five matches while conceding 10 goals since January's 1-0 win over Mauritania in the AFCON group stages.
Sierra Leone, on the other hand, picked up their first win in the qualifiers in midweek when they edged out Djibouti 2-1 when the two nations squared off at the Stade El Abdi.
After taking the lead inside the opening 12 minutes courtesy of Curtis Davies, Gabriel Dadzie converted his 35th-minute penalty to draw Djibouti level but Augustus Kargbo netted six minutes into the second half to hand the hosts a much-needed victory.
Prior to that, Amidu Karim's men were on a seven-match winless run across all competitions, losing five and claiming two draws while conceding 16 goals and scoring six since June 2023.
Having picked up just one point from their opening two matches in Group A, Wednesday's victory has seen Sierra Leone move to fourth place in the group standings, only behind third-placed Burkina Faso on goal difference.
Team News
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Despite the defeat, Traore was a standout performer for Burkina Faso against Egypt last time out and we expect the Shaktar Donetsk man to spearhead the attack once again.
He should be joined in the final third by San Jose Earthquakes man Ousseni Bouda and Dango Ouattara, who made 30 appearances for Bournemouth in the Premier League last season.
Gustavo Sangare, Ibrahim Blati Toure and Sacha Banse should retain their roles at the centre of the park, while we expect an unchanged centre-back pairing of Nasser Djiga and Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba.
Cheltenham Town man Davies grabbed his first international goal in the midweek victory over Djibouti and the 39-year-old should marshal the Sierra Leone defence line once again.
The England-based trio of Mustapha Bundu, Amadou Bakayoko and Sullay Kaikai should lead the visitors' attack again, with Kargbo, Mohamed Kabia and Pagal Koroma starting in midfield.
Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:
Nikiema; Ouedraogo, Djiga, Tapsoba, Yago; Sangare, Toure, Banse; Bouda, Traore, Ouattara
Sierra Leone possible starting lineup:
Kamara; Kakay, Samadiya, Davies, A Koroma; Kargbo, Kabia, P Koroma; Bundu, Bakayoko, Kaikai
We say: Burkina Faso 2-0 Sierra Leone
Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone head into Monday's clash level on points in Group A and will be looking to get one over the other. The Stallions are a stronger and more experienced side on paper and we are tipping them to come away with the desired results.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
