South Sudan and Gambia will take to the Suez Canal Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, as Group G commence their respective 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Kick-off is at 3pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
South Sudan are currently bottom of Group G and only managed to collect three points from four matches during their 2023 Afcon qualifier bid.
As it stands, South Sudan will need to win both of their remaining fixtures to stand a chance of making it out of the group.
Known as the Bright Stars, South Sudan’s last victory in their qualifying campaign came on match day three, where they claimed a 2-1 win over Congo at the Stade Alphonse Massemba-Debat in March.
Overall, South Sudan have lost three out of their last four matches and scored just one goal in all four qualifying fixtures.
In view of their next clash, South Sudan are hoping to cause an upset against Gambia as a side looking to establish themselves in African football.
“South Sudan is a relatively young team and has not yet established a solid reputation in African football,” the South Sudan Football Association said.
“However, they have been making steady progress in recent years and will be hoping to cause an upset against The Gambia, who are currently ranked higher in the Fifa world rankings.
“The first leg of their meeting ended in a 1-0 victory for Gambia, played on June 4th 2022 at Stade Lat Dior, Senegal.
In the first meeting between the two sides during Afcon qualifiers, Gambia claimed a 1-0 victory at the Venue Stade Lat Dior in June last year.
SCORPIONS ON TOP IN HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLE
Gambia currently occupy third spot in Group G and accumulated six points from a possible 12 so far. Much like South Sudan, Gambia may need to win their last two remaining fixtures if they stand a chance of qualifying for the showpiece.
However, Gambia could be spurred on by their most recent result in Afcon qualifiers, where they bagged a crucial 1-0 win over log leaders Mali at the Stade Mohamed V in March.
In the head-to-head battle, Gambia and South Sudan met on two occasions in the past, with the Scorpions winning both encounters.
Gambia recorded a 2-1 win over South Sudan in an international friendly back in October 2021 before their recent Afcon qualifier earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of the tie, Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet spoke of the importance in getting a result against South Sudan and that they are fully focused on qualifying for the tournament.
“The only thing that matters to me is to qualify, We have tasted Afcon action, and naturally, we want to do everything to qualify again,” Saintfiet said.
“It can be challenging. Madagascar, Burundi, and South Africa were here in 2019 but didn’t qualify in 2021.
“We have everything in our own hands. We will like to be in control after the South Sudan game. We completely control our qualifications and do not depend on our opponents. It will be important to get a point against South Sudan.”