AFCON: Burkina Faso coach Brama Traoré previews Ivory Coast game

Burkina Faso national team head coach Brama Traoré has discussed their readiness to face Ivory Coast in the Round of 16 fixture of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Tuesday.

The Stallions will arrive to face the African champions having finished second in Group E with six points, while Algeria topped the pile with maximum nine points.

In the group stage, Burkina Faso won two matches – 2-1 against Equatorial Guinea in the opener, and 2-0 against Sudan in matchday three. Their matchday two ended in a 2-0 defeat against Algeria.

For the Elephants, they finished top of Group F with seven points amassed from two wins, one draw and no defeat. Ivory Coast beat Mozambique 1-0 in matchday one, drew 1-1 against Cameroon, before coming from behind to beat the already eliminated Gabon 3-2.

Ivory Coast in Morocco to reach AFCON final AFCON:

“We know we are going to play against the African champions. We must prepare well. I don’t think the match comes too early, because at this stage of the competition, every team is capable of competing,” said Traoré as quoted by CAF Media.

“We came here to reach the final, play it and win it. If that means going through the defending champions, then we must be ready.”

This will be the third meeting between the teams at AFCON, having previously met in back-to-back group stage encounters in 2010 and 2012.