Serengeti Boys face Ivory Coast in crucial U-17 AFCON prep match

The Tanzania U-17 national team will continue their preparations for the upcoming U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (U-17 AFCON) with a high-profile international friendly against Ivory Coast in Casablanca, Morocco on Friday evening.

The match comes just days after the Serengeti Boys secured an impressive 3-1 victory over Cameroon in another pre-tournament friendly, a result that boosted confidence within the camp ahead of the continental finals.

 

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Serengeti Boys coach: Ivory Coast proper test ahead of U-17 AFCON

Head coach Elieneza Nsanganzelu believes today’s clash against Ivory Coast will provide another major test for his squad as they continue fine-tuning ahead of the tournament.

“This match against Ivory Coast is very difficult but also very important for our preparations for AFCON,” said Nsanganzelu.

The coach explained that facing strong West African opponents is helping his players gain valuable experience and better understand the intensity and quality expected at the tournament.

“Friendly matches against teams like Cameroon and Ivory Coast are very important because we are facing opponents with a lot of experience,” he said. “In East Africa, we do not often get the chance to play against teams of this level, especially those from West Africa, so this is a very good test for us ahead of AFCON.”

Nsanganzelu added that the technical bench intends to use the match to identify areas that still need improvement before Tanzania begin their Group C campaign.

“After this friendly match, we will have a chance to review our mistakes and make the necessary corrections before the tournament starts,” he explained.

The Serengeti Boys are preparing for their fourth appearance at the U-17 AFCON finals and will open their campaign against Mozambique on May 14 before taking on Angola on May 17. Tanzania will conclude their group stage matches against Mali on May 20.

Following today’s friendly against Ivory Coast, the team is expected to shift full focus to preparations for the opening group match.

Encouraged by the victory over Cameroon and the steady progress shown by the squad, expectations are continuing to rise around the Serengeti Boys as they aim to make a stronger impact at this year’s tournament in Morocco.