Guinea-Bissau take aim at stubborn Sierra Leone

Guinea-Bissau will play host to Sierra Leone in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification Group A match at the Estádio 24 de Setembro on Monday.

Kick-off is 6:00 pm CAT.

CURRENT FORM

The African Wild Dogs bounced back to winning ways in Group A when they claimed a 1-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe away on 14 June and they have recorded three wins, one draw, and one defeat in the group.

Therefore, Guinea-Bissau have already qualified for the 2023 Afcon finals and they are placed second on the group standings - two points behind leaders, Nigeria who will host Sao Tome on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone suffered a 3-2 defeat to Nigeria at home on 18 June as their three-match unbeaten run in Group A came to an end having recorded two draws and a win before facing the Super Eagles.

The Leone Stars are placed third in the group standings with their hopes of qualifying for the Afcon finals having already ended, but they are set to finish above Sao Tome who are four points behind them.

WHAT WAS SAID?

New Guinea-Bissau international Carlos Mane

“It's a very special moment for me and I'm happy to be here, it felt really good," Mane said on Fut245.

"I'm happy to have set foot on Guinean soil, now I want to work to guarantee the trust of all Guineans, making history with Guinea-Bissau."

Sierra Leone head coach John Keister

"That's what happens when you are playing against better players sometimes," Keister told reporters after their clash with Nigeria.

"Again, we have to dust ourselves up and keep working. The future is very bright, that was a testament today. It's a learning curve for these players. We will learn from this and get better in the future."

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone have met four times across all competitions since 2007.

The two teams have recorded one each, while two matches ended in a stalemate.

Their last meeting ended in a 2-2 draw in June 2022 in a 2023 Afcon qualifier played in Conakry, Guinea as Sierra Leone's home match.