Guinea national team head coach Didier Six expects a difficult match when Syli Nationale take on Les Sao of Chad in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at September 28 Stadium on Wednesday.
This will be the first time in over two decades since the two teams last met in 1992 when Chad beat Guinea 3-0 in that year’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
But since then, Guinea have made great strides in football as they are currently ranked 71, 72 places behind the central African nation and have graced the last three edition’s finals at the continental show-piece.
Although Syli National camp has been boosted by the arrival of nearly all foreign-based players except Amadou Diawara, the Frenchman certainly has his time cut out as he prepares his charges for the crucial fixture against Kes Sao who are at the bottom of Group A with zero points.
“There are no longer any weak teams,” says Six.
“It is exactly in these games that it becomes more difficult, so you have to approach all matches the same way as a professional, as defending the colours of a country.
“You have to know that in Africa the playing field levels out towards the top and not the bottom.”
Commenting on the absence of Italy-based Diawara who has been ruled out of the match after contracting coronavirus, Six gave his personal example of how hard it is for someone after getting the deadly disease.
“I contracted COVID-19. It was hard. I went almost three months without seeing my family.” explains Six.
“I was at three destinations – Egypt to go to the draw for the World Cup. From Egypt, I went to Rome and from Rome I went to Paris and Paris I went to Barcelona. So I went to three or four important hubs where there was COVID-19.
“That happened in February when there was no quarantine yet. There was tiredness.
“I had two days of fever that resembled malaria, but I followed the procedure of professor Raul to care for myself. There were no tests at that time.”
A win against Chad will see Six’s team nearing qualification to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations as they will required only three other points to make it to the continental championship.
