CAR looking to forget civil unrest

by Staff Reporter

Thursday May 15, 2014. 11:09

Central African Republic will be hoping to put troubles at home behind them when they host Guinea-Bissau in the first leg of their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations first round qualifier on Sunday.

The civil unrest inside of CAR means this fixture has been moved to Brazzaville, taking away the advantage of taking on the visitors in front of their own, vociferous, fans.

CAR will see this as an opportunity though, with one of Botswana or Burundi waiting in the next round, they may well feel a place in the group stages is there for the taking.

This will be the first ever meeting between the two countries, with Guinea-Bissau not having played an official international in over two years.

Wins are rare, not least because they have been inactive for much of the last decade as their football association battles with finances.

Their last away win was an extraordinary 7-2 victory over Benin in a tournament in Mali in 2001, a result that stands out amongst other more dismal efforts.

Still, a good win away from home here could not only set them up for the return, but also bring some much-needed confidence to the group.