Guinea have suffered a third withdrawal from their squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Serhou Guirassy ruled out of the double-header against Eritrea.
The Borussia Dortmund striker underwent medical tests on Thursday which confirmed a thigh injury. He is expected to be unavailable for four to six weeks and will therefore miss the upcoming international window.
Guirassy’s absence is a significant blow to both Borussia Dortmund and Guinea, where he is the team’s main attacking threat. He scored the only goal in the Syli National’s 1-0 victory over Kenya during the previous international break.
His withdrawal follows those of defender Saidou Sow and goalkeeper Soumaila Sylla, further reducing Paulo Duarte’s options at a crucial stage of qualifying.
Sow, who plays for FC Nantes and is regarded as one of Guinea’s most reliable defenders, has pulled out because of a knee injury. He has been replaced in the squad by Ousmane Conde, an attacker who plays for Karvina in the Czech Republic.
Sylla had been recalled by Duarte despite leaving the squad for unexplained reasons after Guinea’s match against South Africa. The Guinean Federation has not given details of the goalkeeper’s latest unavailability.
He has been replaced by Sekou Salifou Sylla of Horoya AC.
The three withdrawals come as Guinea face a difficult challenge in a group with an unusual qualification structure. Kenya have already secured their place as hosts, leaving Guinea, South Africa and Eritrea competing for the one remaining qualifying spot.
Eritrea appear, on paper, to be the most manageable opponent. However, Guinea are already under pressure after losing to South Africa and cannot afford to drop points in either of the two matches.
Duarte’s side effectively need two victories to keep their qualification hopes alive and prepare for a possible decisive meeting with Bafana Bafana at home later in the campaign.
Guinea will at least be able to call on the experience of Amadou Diawara and Mouctar Diakhaby, who are returning to the national team.
Without Guirassy, who scored the decisive goal against Kenya, Duarte will have to find alternative solutions in attack. The striker’s injury has added to a growing list of absences for a team with little room for error in the race to reach the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.