Guinea coach says Flames, Zimbabwe can cause upset

Guinea national football team coach Didier Six says the Flames and Zimbabwe have the potential to cause an upset in Group B of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Reacting to the draw which pitted his Syli Nationale with Senegal’s Teranga Lions, Zimbabwe’s Warriors and the Flames of Malawi, Six was quoted by guinea360.com as having said: “Everyone is talking about Senegal and Guinea as favourites, but it is not as easy as it looks.

“Each of the 24 teams has a chance. As far as the Syli is concerned, we are gaining lots of recognition after a lot of work. We will take the matches one by one. Our team has gained experience and confidence. Now we can compete with Senegal.”

On his target at the continental showpiece, the French tactician said: “When I signed my contract two years ago, my goal was to at least, reach the semi-finals. And if we reach the semi-finals, we will be looking for the final. We will work hard to achieve this goal.”

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe coach Zdravko Logarušic has also told CAFOnline.com that  there is no absolute favourite in the group and expects it to be open and competitive.

He said all teams in the group should not be undermined on paper as the terrain of African football has changed.

“First reaction [from some quarters] was like: ‘this group is not so strong’, but people are wrong. Every nation which plays at the Africa Cup of Nations [finals], for sure, has the same goal.

“The 24 [qualified] nations have the same goal: to try to win and to try to produce the best results to make our people happy, to make our countries happy and to make our football accepted,” he said.

Logarušic said while Guinea and Senegal are strong on paper, Malawi and Zimbabwe can cause upsets at the finals, as there is no small team in modern football on the continent.

In his reaction to the draw last week, Flames coach Meck Mwase described it as fair, saying they could not have asked for anything better.