Cranes determined to soar over Lions
One of the continent’s most talented sides, Senegal, will be searching for a quarter- final berth when they take on Uganda in the Round of 16 in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Cairo International Stadium today.
The Cranes, who were runners-up at the 1978 AFCON in Ghana, face a challenging task this time around, despite having come through with an impressive performance at the group stages to finish second behind hosts, Egypt, in Group A.
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Goalkeeper Denis Onyango could return to the side after passing the fitness test following an injury he picked up during their last game against Egypt, and Coach Sebastien Desabre is confident they have an answer to shutting down Liverpool star, Sadio Mane, and his colleagues.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides in the AFCON. However, without seeming to belittle the pedigree of the Lions, Coach Desabre has promised to approach the game with different tactics although he hinted that surmounting the West African threat would be more challenging.
“It’s a knockout game so we are adopting another tactic than what we did against Egypt. Our game is difficult because we are facing a very good team and a good coach.
“We are not afraid of facing any opponent. Our team is qualified and we know Senegal is really strong, but once we enter the pitch we play fairly,” he said in the pre-match interview.
Coach Desabre said they would not be cowed by the stature of their opponent but conceded that the Lions were a good side that could roar at any team into submission.
“We were not afraid against DR Congo or Egypt, we respect all the teams but we fear none,” he added.
But his Senegalese counterpart, Aliou Cisse, is not getting carried away by their high pedigree over the Cranes.
Instead, he wants to guard against complacency and ensure they treat this game as though it was the final.
“They are a very well-organised team. After losing to Algeria, we had to go back and work more.
In AFCON, there are no easy games. I always say we are here to win, whoever our opponent is,” he stated.
Coach Cisse praised his team for their quality and believes this is the time for Senegal to win the competition after over four years of unsuccessfully trying to break their continental jinx.
“Senegal is a great team but achieving success is not a decision. During the past four or five years, we have had a new team that is trying to achieve success and we are not far from that. We can win the title this time,” he admitted.
Cisse also acknowledged the strength of his opponent whose style has remained the same despite changes in coaches and said subduing them could only require adequate preparation.
“Uganda is a strong team and they have great capabilities.
They change coaches but they have the same style.
They are a committed team and playing against them needs good preparation.
I said before, in AFCON every game has its special characteristics,” Coach Cisse stated.
Meanwhile, Coach Harve Renard leads the Atlas Lions of Morocco who are favountes against Benin in the first game of the Round 16 matches at the Cairo International Stadium.