Equatorial Guinea - Burkina Faso: Stallions hope to get back on course

Esteben Becker's Equatorial Guinea side - the hosts of the 2015 African Cup of Nations - will host a wounded Burkina Faso at the Bata Stadium on Wednesday, in what promises to be an intriguing Group A fixture.

"I had 15 days to prepare with them"

- Esteben Becker

Nzalang Nacional boss Becker has suggested that the rushed preparations for the tournament - due to the late withdrawal of Morocco, who refused to host due to the Ebola pandemic in West Africa - have damaged his side's chances. "I had 15 days to prepare with them and there are also a lot of new, young players," Becker said. "It was difficult to plan, to try and peak all the preparations. We didn't have time to work on the physical side."

Equatorial Guinea's opening fixture got them quickly off the mark, after an Emilio Nsue goal in the sixteenth minute gave them the lead against Congo. Becker will have been hugely disappointed to see Thievy Bifouma's equaliser, three minutes from time - snatching all three points away from the hosts. Against an attacking Burkina Faso on Wednesday, Becker's side must improve their defence, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four games at the finals.

For Paul Put's Burkina Faso side, the start of this year's AFCON could not have gone much worse, as they fell 2-0 to Gambon. Goals from Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Moroccan Malick Evouna were enough to give Les Panthères the win.

"This competition is not over"

- Charles Kabore

Burkina Faso captain Charles Kabore, however, has insisted that the players can rally and immediately bounce back from their opening game defeat. "This competition is not yet over for us," he said. "Were we to win against the host nation, then everything will be back on track for us."

Kabore is right - three points against Equatorial Guinea would see Put's side back on track and in the mix for qualification from Group A, but the lowest-ranked side at the start of this event by some distance - Equatorial Guinea are 118 in the world - might just have something to say about that.