Coach Baciro Candé of Guinea-Bissau says his team’s goal is to go to the next round of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations following the team’s arrival to Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday to compete in the competition.
When the Djurtus landed at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport in Abidjan for the continental championship match, they became the second team to travel to the West African nation to compete in the competition with Morocco the first to arrive.
As they got ready to play the host country in the competition’s opening match on Saturday, Coach Candé and his team were welcomed by dozens of their fellow Ivorians who had gathered at the airport, complete with drumming and dancing.
Guinea-Bissau, who was drawn to play in Group A, would have a difficult task because the group also includes Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria.
The Djurtus, who are participating in their fourth TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations will have the privilege of facing the host nation in the opening game on Saturday at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe.
The 56-year-old coach Candé who was the first in his nation to qualify for 2017’s most important sporting event in Africa will be leading the team for the fourth time in the competition.
After participating in the inaugural game of the 2017 edition in Gabon under Candé’s leadership, Guinea-Bissau will play in the competition’s opening encounter for the second time on Saturday.
“I’m used to that, in the first competition I took part in, we drew the first game against Gabon (1-1)”, he stated in an interview with CAFOnline.com following their arrival in Abidjan on Sunday.
Candé reassured them, “I know that Côte d’Ivoire is stronger than Gabon, but Guinea-Bissau will do its job, slowly”.
Drawn into a difficult Group A that includes Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire, Candé and his team are hoping to pull off an upset by making it to the knockout stage for the first time.
“We want to advance past the first round at last. Although our group has formidable opponents in the form of Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire”, the coach asserted, “Anything is possible in football.”
On January 18, 2024, Guinea-Bissau will play Equatorial Guinea in Group A on the second matchday.
At the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 22, they will play Nigeria again to wrap up the group stage.
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