CONGO Brazzaville head coach Eddie Hudanski expects a tough match this afternoon when his team takes on Burkina Faso in the first semi-final of the African U-17 championship at Amahoro stadium.

The 62-year-old, who won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup with Argentina, knows that the West Africans pose a stern test.

"We expect a tough match as is always the case at the semi-final stage. Burkina Faso have their confidence high after their 4-0 win over Egypt and will be hard to break down but I have belief in my team that they will do the job,” he said after Friday’s 2-1 win over Mali.

"At the group stage, we showed we can score goals so all the boys need to do is defend well against Burkina Faso and we are in business.”

Congo scored nine goals at the group stage but only managed one clean sheet against Gambia. Like Ivory Coast, Congo Brazzaville finished their group campaign with seven points but slipped down to second place following the West Africans’ superior goal difference.

Ends