Burkina Faso and Gabon will battle on Saturday in a crucial World Cup qualifying match.
Both teams are in desperate need of points. Burkina Faso sits one point behind Congo for the top spot in the group and a chance at the third round. The winner of each CAF group heads to a two-legged playoff in the third round where it will take on another group winner. Burkina Faso must win or it will see its World Cup dreams come to an end.
Meanwhile, Gabon sits in third with seven points; three behind first place Congo. While its chances are slim (Congo only needs to draw to eliminate Gabon), the team can still qualify if it defeats Burkina Faso by a large margin and Gabon loses by a large margin. Congo currently has a +4 goal differential, while Gabon's difference is even.
Gabon drew 0-0 with Niger in its opener, but the nation wound up with a 3-0 loss when news of foul play emerged. Fortunately a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso followed; a 1-0 draw with Congo also took place shortly after. The team bounced back with a 0-0 draw against Congo but wound up destroying Niger 4-1 in its most recent game to overcome the poor goal differential.
Burkina Faso has seen three wins and two losses in this tournament; the nation has scored six goals and conceded four thus far.
Prediction: Both teams will be energized with everything on the line. It should be fun, but look for Gabon to pull off a 3-0 win.
Start Time: 11:30 a.m. EST
The match will not be live streamed in the USA.
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