AFCON: Sudan coach Appiah says Burkina Faso will be exciting game

Sudan national team coach Kwesi Appiah says they have raised their ambitions to make Sudanese people by performing well in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) fixture against Burkina Faso on Wednesday.

The East African nation will face the Stallions at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, in what will be a blockbuster clash for the second spot in Group E of the AFCON.

Both teams will come into the fixture in a relatively comfortable position, having already secured qualification to the Round of 16. A tally of three points has proven sufficient to progress, either as second place or one of the best placed number three sides.

‘Burkina Faso have a very strong squad’

“Our match against Burkina Faso will be an important one. They have players with real quality, but we also have a good team and we have prepared well. It will be an exciting game for everyone,” said the Ghanain coach as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“As a coach, I always focus on the next match, not the past ones. Burkina Faso have a very strong squad, with many players based in Europe, so beating them will not be easy. We will give everything we have and raise our ambitions to make the Sudanese people happy.

“The situation is difficult for us, as everyone knows what Sudan is going through because of the war. Despite that, our players have given everything. Our goal is to bring a smile to the faces of Sudanese people and make them proud. When you qualify for a competition, you must show why you deserve to be there, and we will fight to win.”

Speaking on behalf of the players, Mohamed Issa said: “We have prepared well for the Burkina Faso match and we are fully ready for this challenge. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent and everyone is focused on the next game.

“Before the Equatorial Guinea match, our aim was to win and qualify, and we achieved that. The celebrations after qualification were special. Our families and our people were very happy, and that is exactly what we wanted.”

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