Aly Sokondou, a defender for Burkina Faso, claims that the team’s recent wins at the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) over Cameroon and Nigeria have significantly boosted their confidence going into Sunday’s semi-final matchup against Senegal in Annaba.

After losing to Mali to begin their campaign, the Burkinabe defeated Cameroon to get to the quarterfinals, where they defeated pre-tournament favorites Nigeria.

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“The last two wins have improved our confidence.

“Of course we cannot base our preparations on these past matches, but they have given us more belief,” the defender noted.

He added; “Each match has its own dynamics.

“We face a Senegal side which is really good and their national teams have won different competitions, but facing a team like this is a motivation for us.”

Senegal is a team they had already played against recently and defeated in a pre-tournament friendly match in Morocco, therefore head coach Brahima Traore anticipates a challenging matchup against them.

However, he is aware that the outcome of the exhibition game is meaningless because the players on both teams have been replaced.

“There are many players in both teams who were in Morocco but are not here in Algeria.

“It will be different. We have seen their team and the results they have produced and definitely, it will not be an easy match,” noted the coach.

Senegal has been in excellent form in Algeria, winning all four of their games without giving up a goal and scoring a team-high 12, or three goals per game.

However, Traore promises that they will give it their all as they compete for the tournament’s title, their second goal.

“It will definitely not be easy given their journey so far. But we will play our hearts out to try and reach the final,” he added.

Senegal is aiming to get to their fourth final and win their second U17 championship.