Mauritania and Burkina Faso meet in a crucial Group B clash at the African Nations Championship on Wednesday, with knockout stage hopes on the line.
This will be their first-ever meeting at the African Nations Championship. Mauritania, in their 13th CHAN game, will face a 13th different opponent.
Burkina Faso are the fourth West African team Mauritania will face, having lost 1-0 to Guinea and Senegal and beaten Mali 1-0. All three previous matches against West African rivals have ended 1-0.
For Burkina Faso, this is their 12th CHAN match, with Mauritania the ninth different opponent. It is only their second game against a fellow West African side, the first being a 1-0 loss to Mali at the 2020 edition.
Mauritania – Key Facts
- Won their last match 1-0 against Central African Republic after a draw with Madagascar and a 1-0 loss to Tanzania.
- Two clean sheets so far, conceding only once.
- Could set a new record for most clean sheets in a single edition with another shutout.
- Ended a three-game winless run with victory over CAR.
- Last six CHAN matches with a winner ended 1-0 (W2 L4).
- In seven of their last nine games, only one team has scored.
- Playing their fourth game at a single CHAN for the first time.
- Could reach quarterfinals for the second time if they win and Madagascar fail to beat CAR.
- Scored with only shot on target vs CAR, in the 9th minute.
- Fewest accurate passes this tournament (151) came vs CAR.
- Mohamed Diop won 10 of 11 duels in that match.
Burkina Faso – Key Facts
- Beat CAR 4-2 after a 2-0 loss to Tanzania.
- Equaled biggest CHAN win margin and scored four in a game for the first time.
- Conceded two goals in back-to-back matches for the first time.
- Four goals scored equals their highest total at a CHAN finals.
- Chasing back-to-back wins and more than one win in a finals for the first time.
- Third group game record: P3 W0 D2 L1.
- Four different scorers vs CAR; first Burkinabe penalty goals in CHAN.
- Scored three in the second half, their most in a single half.
- Scored four goals from six shots on target vs CAR.
- Faced 11 shots on target this tournament, conceding four, with goalkeeper Ladi Ibrahim Sanou making seven saves.
