
Sierra Leone national youth U-20 team, Shooting Stars will kick-starts their bid to qualify for the 2017 African Youth Champions (AYC) in Zambia when they take on the Scorpions of Gambia on April 2nd at the Wusum Mini Stadium in Makeni, northern Sierra Leone.
In an exclusive interview with African Sports TV, the former FC Kallon gaffer in a confident mood ahead of Saturday’s clash said his boys are in good shape and are well determined to face their Gambian opponent.
“We are not under any pressure despite playing at home. We are aware that the last meeting in this competition Gambians knocked us out of the tournament but that is the past we want to re-write things,” Wright said.
On the other hand, Gambia coach Omar Sise told Gambia daily Observer Sports during their stop-over in Casablanca en-route to Sierra Leone that his boys are in shape ahead of the match.
“The boys are in good shape and doing well. We are now preparing to go for our dinner,” Sise told Observer Sports on Wednesday from Casablanca. Coach Sise traveled with 30 players as they seek for their third qualification to the AYC tournament in Zambia.
The two countries will engage each other in are two legged tie and the Gambia will host the return leg in Banjul three weeks later on April 23rd. The winner of the two leg clash will have to face Morocco in the second round for a place in the third and final round of the qualifiers.
The first meeting between the two sides ended in favor of the Gambians who held Sierra Leone to a goalless draw in Freetown and went on to win 4-1 in the return leg on home soil during the 2011 qualifiers.