Africa Cup of Nations semifinals previews

Sadio Mané (No. 10) and his Senegal teammates exult after winning their Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal match against Equatorial Guinea. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is down to the Final Four after some exciting quarterfinals series over the weekend.

Host Cameroon is now among the favorites after world No. 36 Nigeria was toppled in the Round of 16, followed by the departures of No. 28 Morocco and No. 30 Tunisia in the quarterfinals. Algeria, No. 29 in the FIFA World Rankings, didn’t even make it out of the Africa Cup group stage.

There will be star power in the semifinals as Mo Salah leads Egypt into its match-up against Cameroon. And Salah’s Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané leads a star-studded Senegal side that is the highest-ranked team (No. 20) in the Confederation of African Football.

Underdogs Burkina Faso take on Senegal on Wednesday, while Cameroon and Egypt face off on Thursday. Egypt has won the most Africa Cups (7) while Cameroon is aiming to win its sixth Africa Cup trophy.

Africa Cup semifinals breakdown

Here are all the stats and facts you need to know going into the penultimate round of Africa’s premier football competition.

Burkina Faso vs Senegal

In the first semifinal, Burkina Faso is a huge underdog.  The team from the little landlocked nation in West Africa is ranked 60th in the world, take on powerful Senegal. Burkina Faso have greatly impressed thus far, scoring in every game they’ve played and defeating Gabon and Tunisia in the knockout rounds.

Senegal by contrast struggled to build momentum at the start of their Africa Cup campaign, scoring just one goal in the group stages while playing out two 0-0 draws. However, the Lions of Teranga finally flexed their muscle in the knockout stage with Mané scoring in the 2-0 win over Cape Verde in the Round of 16. Fellow Premier League stars Cheikhou Kouyaté (Crystal Palace) and Ismaїla Sarr (Watford) got on the scoreboard in Senegal’s 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Equatorial Guinea.

The matchup may appear a David vs Goliath scenario on paper, but neither of these sides have ever hoisted the Africa Cup. Both have finished runners-up in the last decade, however, Burkina Faso reaching the final in 2013 and Senegal losing to Algeria in 2019.

Senegal are the more likely side to progress, according to SkyBet’s latest odds, and with a star-studded side it’s easy to see why. Mané may be the standout star, but Senegal boast a wealth of Premier League talent in addition to the three already mentioned. Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) and Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City) play in the EPL while team captain Kalidou Koulibaly plays at centre-back for Serie A side Napoli.

Burkina Faso are looking to upset the oddsmakers, but will be relying upon their own talisman, Aston Villa wide man Bertrand Traoré. Traoré wears the captain’s armband for The Stallions and will be pivotal if they are to succeed, as with a different goalscorer in every game Burkina Faso are clearly lacking a star striker.

Cameroon vs Egypt

Cameroon and Egypt face off in a heavyweight battle in the other semifinal clash this week. There is little to separate the two sides, who are 50th and 45th, respectively, in FIFA’s rankings.

Cameroon are currently edging the better odds, having won the competition most recently (2017). Egypt’s last victory in Africa came in 2010. Cameroon, aka “The Indomitable Lions,” also benefit from the form of star forwards Karl Toko Ekambi (Olympique Lyon) and Vincent Aboubakar (Al Nassr), who between them have scored all of their side’s 11 goals this tournament.

The teammates are fighting each other for the Golden Boot, with Aboubakar (6) leading teammate Ekambi (5). Their torrent of goals have lit up the tournament, particularly in Cameroon’s 4-1 thrashing of Ethiopia in the group stages in which both players scored a brace.

For Egypt, Salah is undoubtedly the star. The Liverpool man’s two goals helped Egypt defeat Guinea-Bissau in the group stage and he added a goal and an assist to oust Morocco – the second-highest ranked Africa team – in the quarterfinals. Salah also converted the clinching penalty kick to allow Egypt to get past Ivory Coast in a Round of 16 shootout.

Pharaohs fans will be relying heavily upon their captain on Thursday, along with Aston Villa’s talented midfielder Trézéguet who also scored against Morocco. The odds may be slightly against them, but with clean sheets in three of their last four games and captain Salah in impressive form, either side could progress to Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final.

• Published on 02/01/2022 at 4:21 PM EST
• Last updated on 02/01/2022 at 4:21 PM EST