The Burkina Faso national football team, known as the Stallions, is determined not to concede defeat in the return match of the Brazil 2014 World Cup playoffs against Algeria on November 15. Paul Put’s team is set to commence training in Belgium on November 10 before heading to Blida for the crucial encounter.
In an interview with fifa.com, Burkina Faso defender Saidou Panandetiguiri expressed confidence in their qualification despite a somewhat modest performance in the first leg (3-2). He stated, “We started to believe in our chances of qualifying for the World Cup. Our qualifying campaign had a rough start, but we believed we could win our last four matches, and that’s exactly what we did! We are just 90 minutes away from Brazil, and we have no intention of relinquishing our place to Algeria. We’ve come this far, and it would be a shame not to give our all now.”
Panandetiguiri, who plays for Royal Antwerp FC, emphasized that Burkina Faso will not play for a draw in Algeria. “It would be a mistake to go there aiming for a draw; defending in such situations is always difficult. We must go for victory and try to control the game in their half. The Algerians scored two goals in the first leg, and they must win this time. However, we have a strong team, and I am confident that we have the ability to make an impact there.”
With around 50 international caps, Panandetiguiri offered advice to his younger teammates in the Stallions team. “Young players should not feel too much pressure; they need to remain calm. We can defeat any opponent if we play as well as we did at the CAN. However, it won’t work if everyone starts thinking they’re Maradona. We need to stay true to ourselves. Many of our players are part of major European clubs and have experience in such matches, but World Cup qualification will depend on a great collective performance above all.”
