A closer look at the three African nations who stand between Bafana Bafana and the 2018 World Cup

25 June 2016 - 13:47 By Mark Gleeson
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While three of the five African countries that competed at the last World Cup in Brazil have been grouped together (Algeria‚ Cameroon and Nigeria in Group A) in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers‚ Bafana escaped a much more difficult assignment as the names were pulled from the coloured balls in glass pots on the stage at a Cairo hotel on Friday.

Here is a look at the Bafana's World Cup group rivals

BURKINA FASO: ‘Les Etalons’ (the Stallions) have beaten Bafana Bafana once in seven previous meetings‚ with four defeats and two draws.

The two countries‚ along with the Cape Verde Islands‚ were in the same World Cup qualifying group for the 2006 finals in Germany but Ghana topped the table to go to the finals.

Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte returned for a second spell in charge of the Burkinabe last December.

He had got them into trouble in his first spell when he persuaded the government to hand out passports to some Brazilian players so he could strengthen his national team.

FIFA nixed the plan. But he got away‚ for a while‚ with some extraneous Cameroonians and Ivorians in the side before they were caught out and Burkina Faso handed a sanction.

Now the squad looks more genuine with the lesson hopefully learnt. Daouda Diakite from Free State Stars has lost his berth as first choice goalkeeper but is still in the selection‚ but defender Robert Sankara has not been picked for a while.

Former Chippa United striker Aristides Bance leads the attack with Bertrand Traore of Chelsea and his elder brother Alain‚ who plays in Ligue 1. Jonathan Pitroipa‚ voted the best player at the 2013 African Nations Cup final in South Africa‚ is also still a force.

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS: The tiny island archipelago has become the fairy tale story of African football over the last year and must be treated with the utmost respect‚ even if their population is the size of that of Mamelodi.

Cape Verde rose from obscurity to two successive Nations Cup final appearances‚ plus a five month run as the highest placed African side in the FIFA rankings‚ on the back of a concerted bid to strengthen their national team with players from the Diaspora.

Actively seeking out players of Cape Verdian heritage‚ born or raised in Europe‚ to bolster their squad had the almost immediate effect of elevating the tiny island nation to Nations Cup finalists‚ their shock elimination of the mighty Cameroon in the 2013 qualifiers making a major statement about their potential.

The rapid ascent continued at the tournament itself with a shock quarter-final place‚ followed by a close call in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers‚ stymied only by an administrative error when they were docked points for using a player who should have been sitting out a key qualifier because of suspension.

As a result they did not make the decisive play-offs despite a famous away victory in Tunisia. But Cape Verde returned to the 2015 Nations Cup finals‚ eliminated without losing a game and then went top of the African rankings‚ reinforcing a rapidly-gained reputation.

SENEGAL: The names Sadio Mane‚ Biriam Mame Diouf‚ Cheikh Kouyate and Papiss Cisse feature regularly in weekly coverage of England’s premier league and are evidence of the deep reservoir of playing talent at the disposal of the Senegalese.

They all play at top teams‚ with Mane this week linked with a move from Southampton to Liverpool.

Keita Balde Diao of Lazio‚ aged only 21‚ is the latest off a long production line of exciting talent and Chelsea last season signed defender Papy Djilobodji‚ loaning him out to the Bundesliga for experience.

Rarely do they pick a home based player while Orlando Pirates’ Issa Sarr is a rare exception in being based outside of Europe‚ although he is still only a squad member but is waiting for a run out.

Senegal have only ever been to a single World Cup but made a major impact in Japan and South Korea in 2002‚ beating holders France in the opening game and going on to become only the second African countries to reach the last eight.

They are also Bafana’s bogey team‚ having gone six games unbeaten against South Africa.

There have been two competitive clashes – both 1-1 draws – at past Nations Cup tournaments and four friendlies‚ which have seen two Senegal victories and two draws.

Senegal are coached by Aliou Cisse‚ who was their captain in 2002.

The former defender with an impressive set of dreadlocks spent most of his career in France‚ including a spell at Paris St Germain‚ and also played in England at Birmingham City and Portsmouth‚ alongside former Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena. - TMG Digital

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