Guinea-Bissau head coach Baciro Cande has his eyes set on leading his team to the knockout phase of this month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
The Djurtus, who arrived at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Airport in Abidjan on Sunday ahead of their opening game against hosts Ivory Coast, will be participating in their fourth AFCON tournament when the competition kicks off on January 13.
They face a tough test in Group A, where they are drawn alongside the Elephants, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea, and Cande hopes his team has enough to make it out of the group phase for the first time.
“Our goal is to finally get past the first round,” the 56-year-old coach said in an interview with CAF.
“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,” he added.
Cande, who qualified Guinea-Bissau for their first ever AFCON in 2017, said his side is used to playing against the host nation, having also played in the opening match against Gabon seven years ago.
“I’m used to it,” the former Guinea-Bissau international said. “In 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.
The 21st-ranked side in Africa, Guinea-Bissau, will lock horns against Ivory Coast at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe on Saturday in the opening match.
They will take on Equatorial Guinea in their second group game slated for January 18, before ending with a tie against the Super Eagles at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 22 in a rematch of the final Group D game of the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.
