Argentina vs Burkina Faso Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Featured Offer

BetAhoy

Bet £10 Get a £10 Free Bet

Claim Free Bet →

Code ALLABOARD10 – Place qualifying bet within 7 days of registration (Min £10 at odds of EVS+). 2 x £5 free bets awarded once qualifying bet settles (18+). Full T&C’s Apply. #ad

Argentina

vs

Burkina Faso

KickoffSunday 4 October 2026, 1:00am

VenueEstadio Mâs Monumental

CompetitionInternational Friendlies

Argentina are on the brink of something genuinely remarkable. Twenty consecutive wins in international friendlies is a run that speaks to a standard of excellence that goes well beyond just turning up and picking off weak opposition, and this weekend they go in search of number twenty one. The backdrop makes it even more loaded, because next week brings Lionel Messi’s 208th and final cap against Benin, meaning Saturday night in Buenos Aires is the penultimate chapter of a story that has defined an entire generation of Argentine football.

Burkina Faso will not be here to make up the numbers, at least not entirely. They arrive in better shape than Bolivia did midweek, with AFCON qualifying momentum behind them and a coach in Amir Abdou who is known for setting his side up to be aggressive and difficult to break down. Whether that pressing intensity travels well to the Estadio Mas Monumental against one of the best attacking rosters in world football is another question entirely. But they are not Bolivia, and Argentina will need to be switched on from the off.

Argentina vs Burkina Faso Match Details

The game takes place at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, the iconic home of River Plate and Argentina’s national team, in what is an international friendly fixture. It is the first ever meeting between these two nations, which gives the night a unique flavour even amid all the talk about what lies ahead the following week.

Team News

Argentina are managing a couple of selection concerns after the Bolivia rout, and Burkina Faso have their own fitness worries heading into a fixture unlike anything they have faced before.

• Lautaro Martinez came off in the Bolivia game with a suspected injury and is considered doubtful. That opens the door for Jose Manuel Lopez to step into a starting role alongside Julian Alvarez.
• Messi has been given the green light to feature if Scaloni sees fit, but there is real uncertainty over whether the Inter Miami captain plays any part ahead of his farewell appearance against Benin next week.
• Matias Soule, Santiago Castro and Tomas Palacios are all pushing for their first senior caps after missing out against Bolivia.
• Nico Paz, who scored and assisted in midweek, is expected to feature again and will be looking to stake a regular claim.
• For Burkina Faso, Edmond Tapsoba returned from injury to play against the Central African Republic and appears fit to start.
• Dango Ouattara is the big concern for the Stallions. The Brentford winger has been absent from both recent AFCON qualifiers through illness and his availability remains in doubt.
• Abdou could hand debuts to Julien Bationo, Mamoutou Ouedraogo and Ismael Maiga, following the blueprint of throwing in fresh faces after Aboubacar Camara marked his debut with the winning goal against CAR.

Predicted Lineups

Scaloni looks set to ring the changes again, as he did against Bolivia, continuing to blood new faces ahead of the Messi farewell. With Lautaro likely unavailable, Lopez gets a chance to impress up front, and the midfield could see Tomas Palacios get his debut run out alongside Paz and Equi. The back line will likely see continuity after a clean sheet midweek, with Romero marshalling things at the back.

Burkina Faso will set up to be compact and hard to break down. Koffi should start in goal, Tapsoba returns to the heart of defence, and if Ouattara is ruled out, Lassina Traore carries the attacking responsibility. Traore has 14 goals in 33 appearances for the Stallions, which makes him genuinely dangerous if given any sight of goal.

Recent Form

Argentina brushed Bolivia aside with minimal fuss in midweek, and the 4-0 scoreline was a fair reflection of how comfortable they were throughout. Lautaro opened things up, Paz and Romero made it three before the hour, and Lopez added a fourth late on for good measure. Bolivia had gone four games without a goal before facing Argentina, so the caveat is that the opposition was poor. But the manner of the win, the composure, the variety in the attacking play, all pointed to a side that has found a groove.

That win was the twentieth in a row in friendly football for Argentina, a run stretching back to a 2-2 draw with Uruguay in 2019. That is over seven years of never losing or drawing in a match billed as a friendly. Whatever you make of the quality of opposition over that span, sustaining that kind of record requires focus, quality, and a winning mentality that runs all the way through the squad.

Burkina Faso arrive with a couple of positive results behind them. They drew against Benin and then beat the Central African Republic 1-0 to put themselves second in Group F of AFCON 2027 qualifying. That top two finish would guarantee them a place at the finals, so there is genuine momentum in the camp. But this is a step up in class that is almost impossible to overstate. The Stallions have never qualified for a World Cup, and facing Argentina in Buenos Aires in front of a full house is about as far removed from AFCON qualifying as it gets.

Head-to-Head Record

There is no head-to-head record to look back on here because this is the very first time these two sides have ever met. History starts on Saturday night. That novelty is part of what makes the occasion interesting, even if the gap in quality between the sides makes it hard to see anything other than an Argentine win.

What the absence of a head-to-head does tell you is that Burkina Faso genuinely have very little experience at this level. Facing the former world champions at home, even without Messi from the start, is territory the Stallions have never charted before. How they cope with that atmosphere and that quality in the early stages could define the entire match.

Key Stats

• Argentina have won 20 consecutive international friendlies, a run going back to 2019.
• Lassina Traore averages a goal every two games for Burkina Faso, with 14 goals in 33 appearances. He is the one player in their squad with the profile to hurt Argentina.
• Argentina scored four goals in midweek without Messi starting, underlining just how deep the attacking options run under Scaloni.

Argentina vs Burkina Faso Betting Tips

Argentina are overwhelming favourites here and rightly so. The interesting angles are around the margins, around how many goals go in, who gets on the scoresheet, and whether Burkina Faso’s defensive organisation holds long enough to keep this from becoming a cricket score. The Stallions will be competitive for a period, but Argentina have far too much quality to be kept quiet for ninety minutes.

Cards Prediction

Burkina Faso under Abdou can be physical and aggressive out of possession, and facing an Argentine side with pace and movement across the front line, there is every chance one of their defenders gets caught lunging in. Expect three or four bookings in total, with at least two of those coming from the visiting side as they struggle to contain Argentina in transition. Over three and a half cards looks a sensible market to be on.

First Goalscorer Prediction

With Lautaro a doubt, Nico Paz is the man to side with here. The Como midfielder scored against Bolivia, assisted another, and looked like the most creative and energetic presence in the Argentine midfield. He has the license to get forward and arrive late into the box, and at a price boosted by the fact that he is not a conventional striker, he represents genuine value to get on the scoresheet first.

Corners Prediction

Argentina will dominate possession and territory for long stretches of this game, and with Burkina Faso likely to sit in and defend deep at times, the hosts will be working the ball wide and looking to get crosses into the box. Over nine and a half corners is a market that should be well within range given the one-sided nature of the contest. Argentina alone could rack up seven or eight on their own.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

This one is close to call. Burkina Faso have Traore as a genuine threat and Abdou will not set up purely to park the bus, so there is a case for them snatching something. But Argentina’s defensive record in friendly football has been excellent, and they will not be careless at the back even in a game of this nature. Lean towards BTTS No on this one, though it would not take much to flip that view if Ouattara is confirmed fit and playing.

Bet Builder Tip

Paz getting on the scoresheet in a game where Argentina dominate territory and pile on the corners, while keeping things tight at the back, all fits the same narrative of a comfortable Argentine win with a cutting edge in the final third.

Final Match Prediction

Argentina win this at a canter. Burkina Faso will give it a go for the first half hour, Traore will make life uncomfortable for the centre backs if given a sniff, and Abdou’s side will at least make Argentina work for their openings. But the quality gap is simply too wide to ignore. Scaloni has a squad full of players desperate to impress ahead of next week’s emotional occasion, and that hunger will show.

The goals will come, they will be spread across the team, and Argentina’s twenty first consecutive friendly win will be wrapped up long before the final whistle. Argentina 3-1 Burkina Faso, with Traore grabbing a consolation to give the Stallions something to take home from a historic night.

Featured Offer

BetAhoy

Bet £10 Get a £10 Free Bet

Claim Free Bet →

Code ALLABOARD10 – Place qualifying bet within 7 days of registration (Min £10 at odds of EVS+). 2 x £5 free bets awarded once qualifying bet settles (18+). Full T&C’s Apply. #ad