Burkina Faso and Djibouti go head to head for the second straight World Cup 2022 qualifying game on Monday, when they square off at the Stade de Marrakech.
The visitors will head into this one seeking to get one over the hosts after they suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat when the sides met in Friday's reverse fixture.
Match preview
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Burkina Faso kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign on September 2, when they saw off Niger 2-0 in Ouahat Sidi Brahim.
That was followed by a share of the spoils against reigning African champions Algeria five days later, when Abdoul Tapsoba cancelled out Sofiane Feghouli's opener shortly after the hour mark.
Les Etalons continued their fine string of performances last time out as they cruised to an emphatic 4-0 win over Djibouti in Morocco's Stade de Marrakech.
In a one-sided affair, Tapsoba scored a 48th-minute brace to put Burkina Faso in a comfortable two-goal lead, before Issa Kabore and Mohamed Konate netted in a nine-minute spell to double the margin.
With seven points from their opening three outings, Kamou Malo's side are currently second in Group A, only behind Algeria on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Djibouti currently find themselves rooted to the bottom of the group after an underwhelming start to the campaign.
An opening-day 8-0 thrashing at the hands of Algeria was followed by a 4-2 loss against Niger when the sides met at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah four days later.
Julien Mette's men have now failed to pick up a win in any of their most recent six outings across all competitions, losing four and claiming two draws since a 2-1 victory over Burundi.
While the Riverains de la Mer Rouge will be looking to end this dire run, they face the stern test of taking on an opposing side who are unbeaten in each of their last seven competitive games.
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Team News
Following his side's dominant display in Friday's reverse leg, Malo could name a similar starting side, meaning we could see a back four of Oula Traore, Issoufou Dayo, Steeve Yago and Issa Kabore shielding Herve Koffi between the sticks.
Abdoul Tapsoba has been on song for Burkina Faso, netting three goals in his last two outings and we expect the 20-year-old forward to handle the business at the attacking end of the pitch once again.
Djibouti, on the other hand, will take to the pitch without the services of 33-year-old defender Daoud Wais, who came off with a slight injury last time out.
In his absence, Yabe Siad could come into the fold to team up with Mohamed Youssouf Batio and Mohamed Bourhan Mohamed in Mette's preferred three-man defence.
Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:
Koff; Traore, Dayo, Yago, Kabore; Guira, Dabo; Tapsoba, Ouedraogo, Sanogo; Konate
Djibouti possible starting lineup:
Mbonihankuye; Siad, Batio, B Mohamed; Robleh, Hassan, Hamza, Farada; Ali, F Mohamed, A Mohamed
We say: Burkina Faso 2-0 Djibouti
Burkina Faso, who are ranked 68 in the FIFA World Rankings, will fancy their chances of completing a group double over an out-of-sorts Djibouti side, who are without a win in each of their last seven games.
We predict Kamou Malo's men will continue their fine run in the qualifiers and claim all three points.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Burkina Faso win with a probability of 47.24%. A draw had a probability of 26.4% and a win for Djibouti had a probability of 26.34%.
The most likely scoreline for a Burkina Faso win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.08%) and 2-0 (8.96%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.49%), while for a Djibouti win it was 0-1 (8.6%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Burkina Faso would win this match.
