Senegal will be hoping to make the final of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Sunday when they take on Burkina Faso at the ongoing tournament in Algeria at 7 PM EAT.The Teranga Cubs have a chance to create history by winning the competition for the first time for Senegal, but first, they have to pass Sunday’s hurdle.Despite the weight of expectation slowly piling on their shoulders, Senegal’s head coach Saliou Dia says the team is under no pressure heading into the match.##NAJAVA_MECA_7252372##The Senegalese are unbeaten so far in the competition and have not conceded a single goal, and most have picked them out as possible candidates for the title.However, Coach Dia says these expectations have not weighed down on them.“I have no pressure going into the game. I was the first coach to give Senegal a continental title when we won the African Games in 2015 and we beat Burkina Faso in the semis, so I am not under any pressure. My only concern is these players and whether they can produce good football. Everyone is appreciating what we are doing here and we want to keep fighting and continue to the final,” he said.The tactician says it will be a tougher duel against former champions Burkina Faso, who have qualified for the final three times before but reckons that his side have gathered confidence over the last four matches they have played, and should present a good strategy to get victory.Olunga snubbed for the MVP award for the second season in a row“It is not an easy match and they are opponents that we must take very seriously. For us, the matches that we have played are behind us and we must not think about them. We are taking a match at a time and now all focus is on this semi-final,” further noted the coach.The West African country has recently dominated Africa across the divide. Their U20 team recently clinched the AFCON crown in Egypt and in January they won the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), adding to their 2021 senior AFCON title as well as the BEACH AFCON Crown.Burkina Faso’s head coach Brahima Traore expects a difficult outing against Senegal, a side they have already faced in the last few weeks, having played against them and won in a pre-tournament friendly match in Morocco.“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. “It will definitely not be easy given their journey so far. But we will play our hearts out to try and reach the final,” noted the coach.Later, Morocco will take on two-time champions Mali at 10 PM EAT to battle for the other ticket to the final.Additional reporting by CAF
