Anthony Laffor of Liberia
by
Staff Reporter
Thursday Oct 08, 2015. 09:41
A high-flying Liberia side clash with Guinea Bissau in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier first-leg encounter on Thursday.
The Lone Stars climbed a massive 65 places in the latest FIFA World rankings, with a 1-0 win over a more fancied Tunisia side going a long way in propelling the West Africans back into the top 100.
Liberia's sudden rise sees them leap ahead of their counterparts, who fell five places to 147th in the world.
Guinea-Bissau, though, will take heart from their recent form despite them being a bit of an unknown quantity on the continent. With a goalless draw against Zambia and a 4-2 defeat to Congo, head coach Paulo Torres has got his side heading in the right direction.
In a further boost for 'Djurtus', Torres will occupy his place on the bench despite receiving a four-match ban for abusing a referee. The ban only counts for AFCON matches, leaving the Portugal-born mentor free to navigate from the touchline.
With the return-leg in Bissau a mere five days away, Liberia head coach James Debbah will - according to the BBC - select four attackers in his starting line-up with William Jebor, Francis Doe, Patrick Ronaldinho Wleh and Dioh Williams all set to start for the hosts.
The winner of the two-legged clash will face 2017 African Cup of Nations champions Ivory Coast in the next round.
Kick-off at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia is scheduled for 16h00 local time.
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