Preview: Guinea vs. Burkina Faso

Today Guinea embark upon the final road of qualifiying leading to South Africa when they take on the Stallions of Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou.

For the inconsistent Guineans it is chance to prove they can win big matches on the road and maybe even be a consistent force. A win for Guinea in Ouagadougou would be a statement victory indicating their desire for World Cup football rather than Nations Cup football. If Guinea are to truly challenge the favored Cote d’Ivoire for the World Cup spot then their ambitions must be no less than three points in Ouagadougou.

The problem is Burkina Faso are not expected to just lay down. Arguably the most impressive side in the last round of qualifying, Burkina Faso did not lose a single match, winning 5 and drawing once. They also had the result of the round by toppling Tunisia away from home coming back for 1-0 down with about ten minutes to go thanks to CFR Cluj striker Yssouf Kone. It is Kone and Mamouni Dagano who scored a whopping 7 goals in the prior round who will lead the Burkinabe attack.

Burkina Faso will probably come out guns blazing trying to put the Syli Nationale on the defensive right away. The Stallions probably know an early goal could cause the Syli to wilt as has happened in the past. Especially with Guinea’s poor defensive record in recent outings.

While Burkina Faso were undoubtebly one of the most impressive sides in the last stage, like Guinea they are known to blow hot and cold. Unlike Guinea when they blow cold, they blow really cold. In the last World Cup qualifiers Burkina Faso never posed a challenge after the fixture and quickly fell by the wayside. Their cold streak lasted through the 2008 Nations Cup qualifiers as they were not a factor in qualifying and failed to appear. Burkina Faso went dormant for a number of years but were a revitalized force in the round. Which Burkina Faso appears today will be a major factor in the outcome of today’s match.

For Guinea it is there defense which is most worrisome. They have given up goals galore of late and it will be up to Kamil Zayatte, Bobo Baldé, Mamadou Bah, Ibrahima Camara and whoever else features to be rocks at the back and frustrate the Burkinabe into poor execution. Should the defense hold firm then Guinea have a chance to take control of the game with their plethora of attacking options. Even those options are somewhat uncertain with Fodé Mansaré and Ismaël Bangoura not at full fitness and Ibrahima Yattara returning to the squad after a long lay off, Guinea still should have enough creating cover through Kanfory Sylla, Alhassane Keita, Karamoko Cisse, Soulyemane Youla and of course the talismanic captain himself Pascal Feindouno. Per usual it will be up to Feindouno to lead his compatriots to a massive victory. When Feindouno puts on the Guinea shirt he almost always rises to the occasion and delivers a massive performance. The same is expected of him today.

Today’s match while only the first of six may be the most pivotal for Guinea. A loss would make a point away to Cote d’Ivoire an absolute must, maybe even all three and the corresponding home fixture in Conakry would require nothing less than full points. The margin for error is eliminated for the Syli Nationale with a loss today. If Guinea want to make it to the World Cup then they will make a statement to Cote d’Ivoire as well as Malawi for that matter by emerging from Ouagadougou as conquerors.

My own expectations are that I have no clue what will happen. If Burkina Faso play to the level they did in the prior stage then I expect them to defeat Guinea. But I also doubt the Burkinabe’s ability to keep up that standard. If I have to make a prediction I’d go with a thrilling 2-2 draw.