Business time in African Cup of Nations

We look at the final two matches

A hectic weekend of football is enhanced by the final two matches in this year’s African Cup of Nations, as Burkina Faso and Ghana battle it out for the bronze medal on Saturday, before a champion will be crowned when Egypt meet Cameroon the following evening.

As is often the case with this competition, we have not been short of an upset or two, and few would have predicted that hosts Gabon and defending champions Ivory Coast would both be eliminated at the group stage. The final four also caught a few off-guard.

Burkina Faso vs Ghana

The battle for third-place, and these matches are always a strange affair, certainly for punters. Both sets of players will be suffering the heartache of missing out on the final, and must now go onto the pitch and decide who is the third-best team. It can’t be an easy match to get up for.

Burkina Faso came that little bit closer to the big day than their opponents, with Ghana losing 2-0 in the semi-finals to Cameroon while The Stallions lost on penalties to Egypt. Paulo Duarte’s men were runners up in 2013, but aren’t expected to match that effort here, with Ghana priced as favourites.

Apart from that semis loss to Cameroon, the Black Stars have been involved in tight matches throughout this tournament, with no more than one goal the difference on four occasions. Add to that the fact that three Burkina Faso matches have ended 1-1, including vs Egypt last time, and the draw looks a worthwhile investment here.

Egypt vs Cameroon