The U-20 Scorpions’ Coach has said that the international friendly against Senegal is going to be a good test game.
Omar Sise has been speaking ahead of the team’s departure, tomorrow (Thursday) to Dakar where they will play friendly game against their counterparts next Sunday.
Both Gambia and Senegal are into the final and decisive round of qualifiers with Gambia taking on a French-speaking country (Guinea Conakry) and Senegal taking on an English-speaking country (Ghana).
“We will keep pushing because we know that it is not going to be easy but we pray to God to guide us to qualify,” he said in an interview with Observer Sports yesterday evening at the Independence Stadium where the team held its normal training session.
The friendly game against Senegal on the 29th of this month, he said, is part of the technical preparation ahead of the encounter with Guinea Conakry. “So we are hopeful that we can have a good game there [Dakar]. The test game [with Senegal] is very good.”
Since the start of the qualifying campaign, the U-20 had played all its test matches against local-based teams. The team will play another test match with Real De Banjul today (Wednesday) evening at 4pm at the Stadium.
He added: “We have always wanted to play international friendlies but because of time factor and some circumstances it could not happened. This game is proposed by the Senegalese FA because they [Senegal] are playing Ghana in the final round.”
The Gambia will play against Guinea in the final and decisive round with the first leg scheduled in Banjul on the 10th July and the return leg two weeks later.
“I will love to see the stadium full to its capacity in our game against Guinea because we are going to do everything to win at home. I know the game against Guinea is not going to be easy because they have players that have been together for the last two years,” he further told this paper.
Pa Suwareh Faye, the U-20 team manager spoke to Observer Sports. He lauded the spirit among the players and calls on the general public to support them in their efforts to qualify to the championship proper.
by Alieu Ceesay