City: Tunis, Tunisia
Na dis Monday evening, Tunisia and Burkina Faso go face demself for friendly match wey no get any competitive wahala, but e fit change di game for dem. This na di first time dem go dey meet for Hammadi Agrebi Stadium, and e dey look like dem Carthage Eagles wan finally catch one win against di Stallions.
As dem don play five times before for World Cup qualifiers and Africa Cup of Nations, e be like say di Eagles need serious divination. Dem don lose three matches and draw one, with dem struggling to even score one goal in di last three meetings (Na wa o, wetin be dis?).
But as dem dey enter dis friendly match, dem dey on a hot streak after grinding out one nail-biting win of 1-0 over Liberia, and brush off Malawi 2-0 for di last World Cup qualifier. Right now, Tunisia dey show strong signs of life with 16 points for Group H, wey give dem four points ahead of Namibia (I nor go lie, dem dey behave like say dem don enter World Cup already).
This friendly na just di beginning, because after dis one, dem go still meet Morocco and Zambia. Simple aim be say dis matches go help dem build momentum for di remaining qualifiers wey dey come September. Di Carthage Eagles go face Liberia again, plus Equatorial Guinea before dem wrap up with Sao Tome and Principe and Namibia.
For dem ranking matter, Tunisia don move up three places; dem dey occupy 49th spot for FIFA rankings. Wetin we sabi be say dis friendly games go help dem see where dem go land when di next rankings drop for July.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso no dey slack either. Dem don climb two places to 64th for di rankings, and dem dey push hard to grab wetin be dem first World Cup appearance. Di Stallions don perform well lately, winning their last two matches against Djibouti (4-1) and Guinea Bissau (2-1) to stay second in Group A, trailing Egypt.
Wetin dey sup for dem own side? Di coach Traore don call up 27 players, blending home-based stars with players wey dey play outside di country. Captain go carry di Stallions as dem face di Eagles, hoping to gain momentum before dem meet Zimbabwe after dis.
For dic match, Tunisia dey likely go start with Dahmen; Valery, Talbi, Bronn, Abdi; Sassi, Laidouni, Hannibal; Tounekti, Chaouat, Larbi. Burkina Faso go likely field Koffi; Kabore, Tapsoba, Dayo, Nagalo; Simpore, Badolo, Tiendrebeogo; Bouda, Konate, B. Traore.
Although Tunisia don dey struggle against Burkina Faso in di past, dis friendly na opportunity for dem to finally break dat curse. Dem dey come into di match with confidence, especially as dem dey play for home (fans go dey yell dem on). But we go still dey watch well because Burkina Faso don dey score sharp-sharp in their last six matches (we don dey fear dem small too).
In conclusion, as dis match dey set to go down tonight, wetin you think? Fit na Tunisia finally grab dia first win against dis stubborn Stallions? Omo, make we just dey watch ovation for di matches wey dey unfold. Na football, anything fit happen!
