Burundi will battle with Guinea in their final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group B match at the Al Salam Stadium in Egypt on Sunday.

Kick-off is at 6:00 pm CAT.

The Swallows’ hopes of reaching the knockout stages were dented when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to fellow tournament debutants Madagascar on Thursday.

The defeat left Burundi placed fourth on the group standings without a single point and they can only reach the Round of 16 if they defeat Guinea and the results in the other groups go their way.

Burundi head coach Olivier Niyungeko has made it clear that they have not lost hope of advancing to the knockout phase.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose (against Madagascar) because we created the chances to score. I am sad we couldn’t get a win and now this makes work harder for us,” Niyungeko said.

“We can’t lose hope, we will continue fighting. We will go in and give everything we have to ensure we win the last game against Guinea.”

The Swallows will look to their England-based captain and striker Saido Berahino, who will be keen to inspire his nation to victory over the National Elephants.

Meanwhile, Guinea’s hopes of advancing to the knockout phase are still alive despite losing 1-0 to Nigeria in their previous match on Wednesday.

The National Elephants are placed third on the group standings with one point and they will stand a good chance of reaching the Round of 16 if they defeat the Swallows.

Guinea coach Paul Put has stressed the importance of winning their last group match against a wounded Burundi side.

“We had a small moment of lapse of concentration from a set-piece and we conceded (against Nigeria),” Put said.

“It is disheartening because this was an important game for us which we really needed to win. It is now tough for us; we must win against Burundi in our final game to stand a chance.”

In Head-to-Head stats, Burundi and Guinea have clashed three times and the matches have all ended in a draw.