- Senegal will progress to the last 16 with a win
- Gambia face Guinea in the second match
- Cape Verde on the verge of qualification
Senegal will take on Cameroon in a massive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tie at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, looking to clinch their second win of the competition.
The defending champions kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win over Gambia, and a win over Cameroon will not only send a statement of intent from the Lions of Teranga, but will also sail them into the last 16.
Head coach Alliou Cisse says his side is ready to take on the Cameroonians, and are high on confidence in their performance.
“We are ready for the second match against a strong team, and we have prepared well for it. We know Cameroon well and it is a strong African team,” the coach said.
He added; “Cameroon remains Cameroon. Our match against them is not revenge. Cameroon have already won many continental titles and we are going to face a team motivated to make up for the result they got in the first match.”
Midfielder Idrissa Gueye is also looking forward towards that battle and says the players are itching to earn victory.
Senegal well prepared for competition
“We prepared well for this competition. We have been with the coach for a while. He led us to the title in Cameroon and we will try to do the same thing again, you have to keep the same state of mind, which is to live well in the group,” Gueye said.
Gambia head coach Tom Saintfiet hopes his side can bounce back and pick a positive result against Guinea, in their second Group C match at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Gambia players warm up before their first match. PHOTO/CAF
Gambia were thrashed 3-0 by defending champions Senegal in their first match, and they will look to turn the pain of that defeat into joy, against an equally tough Guinean side.
Saintfiet, who led Gambia to the quarter finals of the last AFCON for the first time ever, believes the bitter lessons from the Senegal defeat canm spur them to win.
“It was a really difficult result but we can learn a lot from that. I believe the players are still hungry and we will go all out against Guinea. It is not going to be easy, but we have to give our best,” noted the Belgian coach.
Guinea kicked off their campaign with a draw against Cameroon and coach Kaba Diawara is also looking forward to try get a win to boost their last 16 hopes.
Diawara has some selection dilemmas on his hands ahead of the match, as striker François Kamano is suspended after being sent off on Monday, while question marks remain over the fitness of Naby Keïta, who did not come on against Cameroon.
Gambia will also miss the services of defender Ebou Adams, who was also shown red in the opening game.
Cape Verde eye last 16 at AFCON
Cape Verde players celebrate their win in the first match. PHOTO/CAF
Cape Verde will look to qualify into the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations when they play Mozambique in their second Group B match in Abidjan this evening.
The islanders started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Ghana and victory will take them to six points, four ahead of the second placed Ghanaians with one round of group matches left.
Coach Pedro ‘Bubista’ Brito hopes the confidence raised from beating Ghana will help them over the Mambas.
“There were a lot of positives and definitely if you win against a giant like Ghana, it always gives you motivation. We are facing a tricky side because Mozambique showed against Egypt that they are not pushovers. We will need to be at our best to win,” the tactician said ahead of the game.
Mozambique’s Mambas on the other hand have a point from the opening day draw over Egypt, and will be seeking victory to also put their last 16 hopes on.
Just like Cape Verde, they will also draw inspiration from beating the record seven time champions Egypt and they know a win will definitely put them into prime position for a last 16 place.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login