Preview: Burkina Faso vs Egypt - prediction, team news, lineups

Egypt travel to Ouagadougou on Monday to face Burkina Faso at Stade du 4-Aout, seeking a victory that would seal automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

With only three rounds left, the Pharaohs hold a five-point lead at the top of Group A but face a stern test against their second-placed hosts, who are desperate to cut the gap in the race for a place at the finals.

Match preview

The stakes could not be higher for Burkina Faso, as a slip here would all but end hopes of reaching their first ever World Cup through direct progression.

Friday’s emphatic win over the group’s whipping boys Djibouti did little to alter their standing in Group A, although that ruthless performance did push Brama Traore’s men into the top four runners-up for the playoffs.

The Stallions went full throttle in that contest, firing six past their opponents, who had been reduced to ten men after Yabe Said Isman’s dismissal in the 10th minute.

Just six minutes later the floodgates opened, with braces from Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba and Brentford’s new recruit Dango Ouattara completing the rout.

While they head into Monday’s tie on a high, Burkina still carry the burden of never having beaten Egypt in five previous meetings across all competitions, losing four and suffering a penalty defeat in the other.

Egypt approach the clash with belief, not only buoyed by their 2-1 success in the reverse fixture but also with momentum following another strong result last time out.

The Pharaohs, who had not played since back-to-back victories in March, picked up where they left off by beating Ethiopia 2-0 in Cairo on Friday.

Penalty strikes from captain Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush were enough to secure three points, guaranteeing Egypt at least a top-two finish.

Hossam Hassan’s side have now won six of their seven qualifiers, drawing the other, and have impressed at both ends with 16 goals scored and only two conceded.

That defensive strength, however, faces its biggest test against a side who have netted the joint-most goals in the African qualifiers so far with 19, as the Pharaohs chase a fourth appearance on the world stage.

Burkina Faso World Cup Qualifying - Africa form:

Burkina Faso form (all competitions):

Egypt World Cup Qualifying - Africa form:

Egypt form (all competitions):

Team News

Coach Traore is expected to stick with the 4-5-1 setup that demolished Djibouti, which could once again leave veteran forward and skipper Bertrand Traore on the bench.

Ouattara’s double last time out made him the Stallions’ top scorer in the qualifiers with four, while Tapsoba’s brace from defence moved him onto three career goals for the national team.

Mohamed Konate, who led the line on Friday, will be eager to find the net after providing only an assist, while Cyriaque Kalou Irie and Ilias Tiendrebeogo should keep their midfield places following their goals in the last outing.

Since Egypt emerged from the Ethiopia clash with no fresh injury concerns, Hassan is likely to keep faith with a similar side, albeit with more defensive caution, knowing a point would also be valuable.

The manager, who is the country’s current all-time scorer with 69 goals, will also welcome the chance to see Salah edge closer to his personal landmarks, with the Liverpool man’s strike on Friday taking him eight away from matching that record.

The contest for the centre-forward role remains open between Osama Faisal and Mostafa Mohamed, though the latter could get the nod after featuring only from the bench in the last match.

Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:

Kabore; Dayo, Tapsoba, Ayinde, Kabore; Ouattara, Simpore, I B Toure, Tiendrebeogo, Irie; Konate

Egypt possible starting lineup:

El-Shenawy; Hany, Rabia, Sobhi, Hamdi; Zizo, H. Fathy; Trezeguet, Salah, Marmoush; M Mohamed

We say: Burkina Faso 1-1 Egypt

This has all the makings of a fiercely contested battle, with Burkina Faso throwing everything at Egypt, but the Pharaohs look capable of standing firm, so a draw appears the likeliest outcome.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.