AFCON 2021: Guinea To ‘Worry’ Senegal In Group B

With the new AFCON format of 24 teams, pundits have picked Guinea and Senegal as top – most favorites to make the sudden death rounds from group B, but who tops the pool?

Well on paper, Senegal wins it heads and shoulders above: Guinea, Malawi and Zimbabwe. But a closer look on hindsight, and Guinea should give the Teranga Lions of Senegal – a Bolt for their money.

Guinea, a country located in western Africa, on the Atlantic coast, is going to be in action for their 13th AFCON in Cameroon, out of a Grand total of 33.

Guinea made her debut in the tourney in 1970. Since then, their best performance came in 1976, when they emerged runners – up.

Total Competitions and Results

1970 – Hosts (Sudan) group stage

1974 – Hosts (Egypt) group stage

1976 – Hosts (Ethiopia) Runners – up, defeated by Morocco in the final

1980 – Hosts (Nigeria) Group stage

1994 – Hosts (Tunisia) – Group stage

1998 – Hosts (Burkina Faso) – Group stage

2004 – Hosts (Tunisia) – Quarter finals

2006 – Hosts (Egypt) – Quarter finals

2008 – Hosts (Ghana) – Quarter finals

2012 – Hosts (Equatorial Guinea/ Gabon) – Group stage

2015 – Hosts (Equatorial Guinea) – Quater finals

2019 – Hosts – (Egypt) – Round of 16

Guinea have made it out of their group 5 times in the last 6 AFCON tournaments they have plied.

Coach

Guinea coach, Kaba Diawara is himself a former player of the Syli National.

He played for the French national U-21 team, but chose to represent Guinea at senior level. Diawara was in Guinea’s squad for the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Guinea went on to the quarterfinals of the tournament against where Diawara scored in an eventual 3–2 defeat to Senegal.

In October 2021, Diawara was named as head coach of the Guinea national football team, replacing former French international Didier Six. He is charged with the duty of taking Guinea past their best tourney return in 1976, where they ended beaten finalists. Kaba Diawara has at his disposal some exciting talents at his disposal.

He will be assisted by former teammate, Pascal Feindounou, who is considered one of the country’s all – time best.

Road To AFCON 2021

Paired in group A of the qualifiers against: Mali, Namibia and Chad, Guinea qualified as second of the pool with 11 points, 2 behind Mali.

Complete qualifiers results

Mali 2-2 Guinea
Guinea 2-0 Namibia
Guinea 1-0 Chad
Chad 1-1 Guinea
Guinea 1-0 Mali
Namibia 2-1 Guinea

Players to watch

Naby Keita

Liverpool star, Naby Keita is pivotal to what coach Kaba Diawara aims at achieving with his squad. The former RB Leipzig midfeild metronome, though not utterly settled at Anfield, has top quality abilities. The 26 year old uses his low center of gravity to great effect; dribbling and dishing out passes – to great effect. Keita has scored 3 goals in 14 games for Liverpool this season. Keita scored once in the qualifiers, and he’s bagged 8 goals in 44 appearances for country.

Former Napoli and now Roma holding midfeilder, Amadou Diawara, is a great watch. His role is likened to the ‘pick and roll’ system in basketball, and Diawara’s combo in the midfeild with Naby, only spells danger for opponents of Guinea.

CHAN revelation, Morlaye Sylla – will have a lot of attention centered around him. The youngster and his peers beat hosts Cameroon to bronze in the 2020 African Nations Championship, with him, Sylla, scoring 3 goals in the process.

Guinea starts her tourney on January 10 against Malawi. They goon to face Senegal and Zimbabwe on the 14 and 18 respectively.