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. The team arrived in Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday to compete in the championship.
When the Djurtus landed at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport in Abidjan for the continental championship match, they became the second team to go to the West African nation to compete in the sporting event.
Coach Candé and his team received a warm welcome from hundreds of their fellow Ivorians at the airport as they prepared to play the host nation in the competition’s opening game on Saturday.
Guinea-Bissau, which was drawn to play in Group A, would have a difficult task since 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 first game on Saturday at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe.
56-year-old coach Candé, who was the first in his nation to qualify for 2017’s most important competitive event in Africa, will be leading the team for the fourth time in the competition.
After participating in the first encounter of the 2017 edition in Gabon under Candé’s leadership, Guinea-Bissau will participate in the championship’s opening encounter for the second time on Saturday.
“I’m accustomed to that; in the first tournament I took part in, we drew the first game against Gabon (1-1). In an interview with the media following their arrival in Abidjan on Sunday, Candé reassured them, “I know that Côte d’Ivoire is superior to Gabon, but Guinea-Bissau will do its job slowly.”
Assigned to a difficult Group A that includes Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire, Candé and his squad are hoping to pull off an upset by making it to the knockout round for the first time.
“We want to go beyond the first round at last. Although our group has formidable competitors in the form of Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire,” the coach said, “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. AFCON 2024 will be live on K24 Tv in Kenya. 28 matches will be aired live from Ivory Coast.