Nigeria's opponent Guinea-Bissau Baciro Candé has revealed his team target for the AFCON 2023 as they eye a top group qualification following their arrival to Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday, Nigeriasoccernet.com writes.
Notably, he is the first coach to qualify his country for the most prestigious sporting event in Africa in 2017, the 56-year-old coach Candé will be making his fourth appearance in the tournament and at the helm of the side.
Candé says they want to reach the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations after the Djurtus became the second side to arrive in the West African country to participate in the tournament when they touched down at Abidjan's Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport for the continental showpiece event.
"I'm used to it; the first competition I participated in, we played the opening match against Gabon, and we drew (1-1). I know that Côte d'Ivoire is stronger than Gabon, but Guinea-Bissau will do its job, slowly," assured Candé in an interview with CAFOnline.com upon their arrival in Abidjan on Sunday.
Drawn into a challenging Group A, alongside Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea, Candé and his team hope to create a surprise by advancing to the knockout stage for the first time.
"Our goal is to finally get past the first round. It's true that our group is very tough with opponents like Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea, but anything is possible in football, anything is possible," declared the coach.
Guinea-Bissau will face Equatorial Guinea on the second matchday scheduled for January 18, 2024, in Group A and will play Nigeria in the final group game.
By Olaleye Oluwadamilola