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As Gambia takes on Burundi at today to start her campaign in the world cup, coach Tom Saintfiet has said even though Ivory Coast may be the group favourite among other good sides in the group, his team too is good and can surprise every opponent.
Speaking to the GFF in Tanzania yesterday, the coach said all what is required is to avoid dropping points unnecessarily.
“In a group like this with six teams and ten matches and only the top team to qualify, it is important to note that one cannot afford to lose two matches. So a good start will be important to keep us in the race for as long as possible and for our aim to reach the world cup for the first time. Yes Ivory Coast is big footballing nation with almost all their players in top leagues in Europe while we have just about three players in top leagues. But I have full confidence in my team and we can surprise every opponent. we are hoping to compete well. We are hopeful some of our players currently under injury would get better and be available for selection as the campaign progresses,” he said. He admitted sometimes they concede too easily in the first half and needed to repair the damage in the second half. “If we don’t concede too easy goals I think we can go a long way. I believe we can compete with all the teams in the group and I also believe too that this could be our time,” Tom said.
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Today’s encounter in Dares Salaam kicks off at 13hours.