Preview:Burkina Faso vs. Gabon - prediction, team news, lineups

Burkina Faso and Gabon get the ball rolling in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations when they square off at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium on Sunday.

This will be their first encounter since 2017 when the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw, and Les Etalons will look to get one over their Central African counterparts having failed to win any of the last four meetings between the sides since 2013.

Match preview

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Burkina Faso secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations last Monday when they held on for a 1-1 draw against Ethiopia at the Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam.

After heading into half time with a one-goal lead through Cyrille Bayala, Getaneh Kebede restored parity from the penalty spot seven minutes after the interval but Les Etalons put on a defensive show of class to hold on to the point.

Prior to that, Kamou Malo's men were welcomed to the tournament with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of host nation Cameroon on the opening day, before grinding out a 1-0 win over Cape Verde on January 13.

With four points from three games, the West African nation finished as runners-up in Group A, level on points with Cape Verde who also secured entry into the knockout stages as one of the four best third-placed sides and three points off group winners Cameroon.

Burkina Faso head into Sunday's game unbeaten in all but one of their last nine games across all competitions, picking up four wins and four draws, while scoring 15 goals and keeping four clean sheets in that time.

While they will look to keep this fine run going and progress to the next stage of the competition, standing in their way is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in each of the last four meetings between the teams.

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Gabon, on the other hand, will be delighted with their performance at the Africa Cup of Nations as they enjoyed an unbeaten run in the group stages to clinch smooth passage into the last 16.

Les Pantheres opened their campaign with an impressive 1-0 victory over debutants Comoros on January 10 before holding Ghana to a 1-1 draw in their second group game four days later.

Patrice Neveu's side turned in an eye-catching performance in their final group outing as they held a rampant Morocco side to a 2-2 draw when they squared off at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium on Tuesday.

Gabon took the lead twice in the game through Jim Allevinah and an own goal from Stade Rennais' Nayef Aguerd, but Sofiane Boufal and Achraf Hakimi were on deck to level matters on each occasion.

With five points from three games, Gabon finished runners-up to Morocco in Group C and two points ahead of Comoros, who picked up their first-ever win in the tournament and progressed to the next phase when they stunned Ghana to a 3-2 victory in a classic group finale.

Like Burkina Faso, Gabon have avoided defeat in all but one of their most recent seven games in all competitions, claiming three wins and three draws in that time.

Team News

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Burkina Faso head into the game with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, meaning Malo has a full-strength squad at his disposal once again.

After an unconvincing display in the opening two games, Abdoul Tapsoba was an unused substitute in the game against Ethiopia last time out, but the Standard Liege man could come into the fold on Sunday.

Meanwhile, on the back of his side's solid display in the 2-2 draw with Morocco last time out, we expect Neveu to name a similar side on Sunday, meaning we could see Aaron-Salem Boupendza leading the line once again.

However, Gabon will be without the services of star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has now withdrawn from the tournament and returned to Arsenal after a health issue.

In the absence of the 32-year-old forward, Allevinah has fared excellently at the attacking end of the pitch and the Clermont Foot man will look to add to his two goals at the tournament.

Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:

Koffi; E Tapsoba, Dayo, Yago, Kabore; Guira, Toure; Traore, Sanagre, Bayala; A Tapsoba

Gabon possible starting lineup:

Amonome; Oyono, Manga, Palun, Sambissa; Poko, Kanga, Obiang; Bouanga; Allevinah, Boupendza

We say: Burkina Faso 2-1 Gabon

We anticipate a very open contest with the result tipping either way as both sides, who are evenly matched on paper, head into the game in similar form. However, we predict Burkina Faso will nick the win as they boast the experienced players needed at this stage of the tournament.