Yamoussoukro’s Charles Konan Banny Stadium plays host to an interesting Group C tie between reigning champions, Senegal taking on Guinea in what will be a decider for the first place on Tuesday, 23 January.
Following their 3-1 win over Cameroon, which was preceded by a 3-0 win over Gambia, Senegal are top of the group. Guinea on the other hand held the Indomitable Lions to a 1-1 opening match before edging Gambia 1-0 to be second on the group ahead of the final clash against the reigning champions.
Guinea Coach, Kaba Diawara believes the pressure will be on Senegal rather than on his side.
“We have 4 points so far, which is good, but it is not enough. We play all the matches to win, and victory over Senegal means that we will go top of the group, and we will not have to travel for the quarter-final match. We will benefit from the return of all injured players and go for all three points. We will face the defending champion, who have 6 points and has scored 6 goals so far. The pressure will not be on us, but on Senegal because they are African champions,” he said.
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In his own submission, Senegal Coach, Aliou Cisse said his side is prepared for the game as they want to win the group.
“We prepared for the match seriously and professionally, just as we had prepared for previous matches. The match between Senegal and Guinea is a much-anticipated derby in West Africa. There are 3 derbies in our group. Our third match is important, and we are counting on a win in order to stay in the lead. We put the matches between Gambia and Cameroon in the past. The match in which we faced Guinea during the Cameroon edition was difficult due to the Corona pandemic, and the year 2022 is not like 2024,” he said.
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