AFCON U20: "Why Senegal Will Be Most Difficult Match" - Bosso

AFCON U20: "Why Senegal Will Be Most Difficult Match" - Bosso

By Niyi Busari

Head Coach of Flying Eagles, Ladan Bosso has said that the team's opener against Senegal at the 2023 CAF U20 African Nations Cup in Egypt will be the most important and difficult game, BSNSports.com.ng can report.

Nigeria are drawn in group A with Mozambique, Senegal and hosts, Egypt.

Bosso added that the Senegalese team are not known to the technical crew, though he expressed optimism of repeating the Nigeria U20 team performance in WAFU B championship in Niger where they won the first match and emerged Champions.

"Senegal will be the most difficult match for us because I have not seen them and they've not seen us play, though we need to know how to manage the situation and I am sure we will conquer them." Bosso told BSN Sports after their first training session on Monday in Abuja

He continued, "From over 200 players that attended the first phase, we picked 35 and it was those that we picked that played the last 3 matches against Nasarawa United and Lobi Stars.

"Fortunately for them all of them are back, the other aspect is that those of them that are here now, we appealing to Nigerians to let us concentrate, and they can make suggestions and observations by coming to us if there are other better players than what we have in camp they can recommend but they must have watched the player in his club. Because what we are doing now is blending not screening.

He said winning the first match will make qualifying for the next round easy foe his boys, "Every group is a group of death, if you can win your first match of the group it will give you and that is what we did in Niger and outplayed Ghana.

"I have said that the National team is not a rehabilitation centre, if you are not fit, you can't be here and the fitness we are talking about here could be administrative. Some of the players came with an injury and we cannot manage that in this camp and they go.

"Two foreign-based players are already here, no foreign-based will join us at the tournament venue, they have to come here and showcase themselves." He concluded.

Training sessions commenced on Monday as coach Ladan Bosso looks to pick his final squad for the tournament that also serves as the qualifying tournament for this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Indonesia.

Seven-time champions Nigeria will do battle with host nation, Egypt, Senegal and Mozambique in Group A of the 12-nation tournament taking place in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Ismailia, 19th February – 11th March.

All four semi-finalists at the championship will fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup.

Uganda, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Congo are in Group B, while The Gambia, Tunisia, Benin Republic and Zambia will slot it out in Group C.