Guinea out to maintain Group H stranglehold

Guinea out to maintain Group H stranglehold
Naby Keita of Guinea (L) and Mubarak Wakaso of Ghana (R) during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations football match between Ghana and Guinea at the Malabo Stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on 1 February 2015 ©Barry Aldworth/BackpagePix

by Bertin Basson

Thursday Oct 11, 2018. 11:14

Guinea will be out to build on their lead in Group H when they play host to Rwanda in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry on Friday evening.

Kick-off is at 18h30 CAT (SA, GMT+2).

The Syli Nationale currently lead the way with six points from two matches and could take a huge step in their quest of booking a spot at next year's showpiece with victory on home soil.

Guinea beat the Ivory Coast 3-2 in Bouaké last year before a 1-0 win over the Central African Republic in their most recent Afcon qualifier, and with the likes of Liverpool's Naby Keita and Napoli's Amadou Diawara at their disposal, the hosts will be favourites against Rwanda.

The Amavubi are still searching for their first point of the campaign following successive 2-1 defeats to CAR and the Elephants respectively.

Head coach Vincent Mashami has duly underlined the importance of the upcoming back-to-back fixtures against Paul Put's troops, as they aim to keep their Afcon hopes alive.

“We have put together a good squad, and we believe in them. We are heading to Guinea a bit earlier so we can enhance our preparations ahead of Friday’s game. We will be ready in time,” Mashami told Times Sport before Rwanda's departure to Conakry.

“Our main ambition is to get all points in Guinea, which will boost our motivation and chances of coming back in the race. We face a tricky side in the group, and they will be at home, but we are determined to put up a strong fight."

The only previous meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw.

The reverse fixture in Kigali will take place at the Stade Régional Nyamirambo on Tuesday.




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