Guinea-Bissau head coach Emiliano Té has played down concerns over the condition of the playing surface at the September 24 Stadium in Bissau ahead of Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash with Nigeria.
Persistent rainfall in Bissau has left the pitch saturated, raising concerns about its suitability for the crucial Group L encounter.
The Super Eagles had a feel of the surface during their training session on Monday, which was held under a slight shower.
Té Concentrate On Crucial Fixture
However, Té insisted that neither team could do much about the condition of the pitch and urged his players to remain focused on the match.
“We are playing in Africa and we know that our pitch is not one of the best, but it is what it is. It is what we have and we cannot do anything about it,” the Guinea-Bissau coach said at his pre-match press conference.
“We also don’t like to play on it the way it is now, but we can’t control that because it is raining and they try their best to make it good.”
Read Also: 2027 AFCONQ: Chelle Laments Lack Of Enough Training Sessions Ahead Of Guinea-Bissau vs Super Eagles
Chelle Avoids Pitch Debate
Nigeria head coach Éric Chelle also declined to be drawn into discussions about the state of the playing surface, insisting that his team’s attention remains firmly on the game.
“I don’t want to say whether the pitch is good or the pitch is bad. We just need to stay focused on our game,” Chelle told reporters on Monday.
“We have to manage and we will see how it is during the training session too before the game.”
Both teams began their qualifying campaigns with victories.
Guinea-Bissau defeated Tanzania’s Taifa Stars 2-0, while the Super Eagles secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Madagascar’s Barea.
In the other Group L fixture, Madagascar will host Tanzania.
By Adeboye Amosu
