Mali vs Burkina Faso Prediction: Cagey contest in Korhogo?

Group E winners Mali take on Group D runners-up Burkina Faso in the penultimate Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 tie on Tuesday evening (KO, 17:00).

Both sides won their opening game of the tournament - against South Africa and Mauritania respectively - before failing to win their next two. It didn't matter for Mali, whose draws against Tunisia and Namibia saw them take top spot, while Burkina Faso drew with Algeria before losing to eventual leaders Angola.

The winner of this knockout tie at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo will go on to face either hosts Ivory Coast or reigning champions Senegal in Bouake on February 3.

Team News

Mali appear to be at full-strength for this contest, with Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma in line to make back-to-back starts for the first time in this tournament.

Kamory Doumbia and Sekou Koita should return to the starting XI after being named as substitutes last time out.

Burkina Faso will welcome back Mohamed Konate and Ibrahim Toure after the duo missed their nation's final group game through suspension, with Bournemouth forward Dango Ouattara set to drop out of the starting XI.

Captain Bertrand Traore made his first start against Angola and should keep his place after proving his fitness.

Match Odds

Mali are fancied as favourites to progress to the next round, with a win for them inside 90 minutes on Tuesday priced at 6/5. The draw is 7/4, while a victory for Burkina Faso without the need for extra-time is 5/2.

Both teams to score is 5/4 and it's 7/4 for over 2.5 goals.

Draw @ 7/4

Only six places separate these sides in the FIFA World Rankings, and Tuesday's tie looks a difficult one to predict with both nations enjoying a positive group stage.

Burkina Faso will have been disappointed by their 2-0 defeat to Angola which saw them miss out on top spot in Group D, but they kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Mauritania and were only denied victory over Algeria in the final few minutes.

Traore, their talisman and scorer of two goals from the bench in their opening two fixtures, made his first start against Angola and that should strengthen the Stallions' chances against Mali.

The Eagles, meanwhile, are yet to taste defeat in Ivory Coast, and have conceded only once.

It could be a case of these sides cancelling each other out in the 90 minutes, with extra-time and potentially penalties on the cards in Korhogo.

Under 0.5 goals at half-time @ 6/5

It feels like first-half goals have been more frequent this year compared to the previous edition in Cameroon, but Mali have proven to be one of the exceptions.

Two of their games - against South Africa and Namibia - saw no goals scored before half-time, while Burkina Faso's opener against Mauritania also saw both teams fail to find the back of the net.

In fact, only one goal was scored in the first-half of the Stallions' clash with Algeria, and that came in the third minute of added time.

I can see this being a cagey contest before the interval, particularly with Mali's backline holding strong so far in the competition.

Check out the rest of our AFCON Betting Tips here.