Following Madagascar's 2-2 draw against Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations opener, coach Nicolas Dupuis stressed his side won’t underestimate Burundi in their next Group B clash.

Despite the fact both teams are Afcon debutants and will be meeting each other for the first time ever in a competitive game, Madagascar will go into the game as favourites, owing to their superior Fifa ranking.

The Barea are currently ranked number 108 in the world, while Burundi are placed 134th in the global rankings.


Speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, the French manager stated his side won’t underrate a team who narrowly lost 1-0 to Nigeria in the opening round of fixtures.

“It would be a great risk if we underestimate the opponent [Burundi],” Dupuis said.

“It’s a difficult match and Burundi is a great and stubborn team. We have to be really focused and prepared.”

Madagascar qualified for the continental showpiece with two games to spare, eventually finishing second behind Senegal, in a group which also contained Equatorial Guinea and Sudan.