Afcon 2013 Final: Nigeria V Burkina Faso

Venue: The National Stadium

Time: 20h00

Channel: SS4/ SABC1

Tonight Nigeria and Burkina Faso will fight it out for the Africa Cup of Nations trophy and the title of Africa’s best.

The two nations go head-to-head at the The National Stadium in Soweto, in what will be their second meeting at the 29th edition of the Afcon. The sides met in the group stages, with the tie having ended 1-1 after 90 minutes. However tonight, with everything at stake, their will have to be a winner.

Nigeria will go into the game as the odds-on favourites and coach Steven Keshi said that he will not change his game plan for the final. He said they have played the same throughout the tournament and he sees no reason to change now.

If Nigeria win tonight, Keshi will be the first man to win the trophy as both a player and coach.

“We have the plan in place and it is the same one we have been using in the other games. We have gone well with that system, and why change now? If they want to change maybe they have reasons, but we are not changing for any reason," Keshi said. 

Burkina Faso will be the underdogs at the National Stadium, although they have shown that they can hold their own against Africa’s top teams. In what will be side’s first ever appearance in the final, a victory for The Stallions cannot be ruled out.

Paul Put, The Stallions’ head coach, admits that they are the underdogs, which means that there will no pressure on them.

“What pressure? No one expected us to reach this stage so we just have to go out there and enjoy ourselves. We want to win the trophy. This is the first time we have been here and that alone is history, so winning the trophy will be adding another history. 

“We have played Nigeria and now we know them well because we drew with them and tonight there is not going to be a draw. One has to win and who knows we could be the winner," Put concluded. 

Standard Bank Afcon Players To Watch

Nigeria: Emmanuel Eminike

Burkina Faso: Bance