Ahead of the Gambia’s opening and first leg of the Afcon 2021 Qualifiers to Angola, Scorpions Coach Tom Saintfiet said he is very satisfied with the team’s togetherness at camp since their arrival in Luanda on Tuesday 12th November. He said despite the limited time available, the players are living up to expectations. “I am very satisfied with the team, the atmosphere and the work ethics are all high and as a team, we are ready for the task tomorrow”.
He sounded confident ahead of Tuesday’s game and noted that the Scorpions are optimistic of getting a point and “if possible all three points because that is our intention”.
The Belgian tactician acknowledged that the opening game would not be as easy thought “because we are playing away and been 166 on the FIFA ranking as opposed to Angola’s 120th position”. He noted that it would not be an easy game because “we lost to them twice in the September World Cup Qualifiers but we are optimistic and confident looking up to the game tomorrow”.
Having a fair knowledge and information on the Palancas Negras and commenting on his approach towards the game, the “Saint” said the Gambia has skillful and quality players at midfield and upfront “and we can use that for some good ball possession and create opportunities to finish at goal”. Saintfiet says a lot of factors could play a role in a type of game one plays. “We will have a strong squad on the pitch and a lot of strong players on the bench so it could be difficult to choose but i am very positive because everything is going fine as planned”.
The Gambia will open its Afcon 2021 campaign away to Angola on Wednesday 13th November 2019 at the 11th November Stadium in Luanda at 20:00hrs (19:00hrs in the Gambia).
