Sierra Leone will look to revive their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification hopes when they host Sao Tome & Principe at Stade Agadir in Morocco on the evening of Wednesday.
Kick-off is at 7pm CAT.
Sierra Leone are placed third in Group A with just one point after a loss away to leaders Nigeria and a 2-2 draw at home to second-placed Guinea-Bissau (who will meet in the other Matchday 3, Group A match in Abuja on Friday 24 March).
The Leone Stars were present at the last Afcon in Cameroon in early 2022, but will need to claim back-to-back wins over Sao Tome in the coming week if they are to have a shot at finishing in the top two of the group.
“Going to Cameroon after 25 years (away from the competition) was probably the best thing that's happened to Sierra Leone and Sierra Leone football in that period,” said head coach John Keister.
He added, “It's a challenge, but I love challenges. I want to carry-on working and hopefully get the right group of players. I'm enjoying it. I'm trying to do the best I can. The aim is to qualify for the next Afcon, but I have hopes and aims as a manager.”
Sao Tome, meanwhile, have suffered two heavy defeats (1-5 against Guinea-Bissau and 0-10 against Nigeria) and will merely be looking to get the basics right and restore some sense of pride in these two matches in Agadir (since neither nation has any venues which meet CAF’s strict criteria).
The Falcons and True Parrots Team have only managed wins over fellow minnows Mauritius in the past seven years, but will be hoping for an upset against Sierra Leone – especially with Argentina-based veteran forward Luis Leal in the squad.
In head-to-head stats, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome have met in four previous matches, dating back as far as 2000. The Falcons and True Parrots Team have claimed two wins compared to one for the Leone Stars, while one game has been drawn.
The teams’ most recent meeting was an Afcon qualifier in June 2012 in Freetown which ended in a goalless stalemate.