The Stallions of Burkina Faso will look to create an upset when they take on the star-studded Senegal side in their semi-final clash at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde on Tuesday.
Kamau Malo’s side started the competition with a 2-1 defeat to hosts Cameroon, but have since recovered and are targeting a place in Sunday’s final at the Olembe Stadium.
This will be the Stallions third appearance in the semis in the past nine years (adding to 2013 and 2017).
And the Burkinabe’s presence at the sharp end of the tournament has an even greater significance given the country’s recent military coup, as explained by coach Kamau Malo.
“I would like to take this opportunity to pay homage to the people who despite everything stay strong,” Malo said after their win over Tunisia.
“I would like to believe our team is the mirror image of those people… we will stay strong despite everything. We’re going to try to keep making our people happy. We’re in the semifinal and it is a huge bonus… we’ve given a good account of ourselves and I believe we have the means to go further.”