Burkina Faso vs Benin — Tips & Analysis

Under 2.25: Benin give a goalkeeper very little to do at the other end. They score under a goal a game and have managed more than one goal only twice in their last 10 games. On the road they have won one of six. They are also without their captain and main striker Steve Mounie, who is injured, and defender Olivier Verdon is suspended. Burkina Faso should win this, but they are not built to hammer anyone. They score 2 goals a game at home and have lost once there in five. Their games have had under 3 goals in them on average. The bigger point is the calendar. Neither side has played a competitive game in about 262 days, and Burkina Faso only trained together for the first time on 22 September. Openers after a break that long start slowly and stay cautious. We see Burkina Faso probing for a long stretch and then getting the game won late, which is how a 2-0 happens. That finish leaves nothing to spare, and a third goal is the one thing we cannot have. The last five meetings averaged almost 3 goals, and Burkina Faso won the most recent one 3-0 last November. An early goal would change the whole feel of this. We still want the quiet game in Ouagadougou.