On the other hand, Zebras started their campaign with a 3-2 home loss to the Mambas of Mozambique on Thursday. With the exception of one player, none of the Guinea players ply their trade in Africa. They mostly play for French and German elite clubs.
A few of them are scattered across lower leagues in Europe and Arab countries. Guirassy, who was introduced in the 65th minute against Uganda, is the second highest scorer in the German Bundesliga with 15 goals in nine league outings. He is two goals behind the leading scorer, Harry Kane. This means that the Zebras defence should always be on alert tomorrow. The Zebras were very porous against Mozambique last week, something that deeply infuriated head coach, Didier Gomes Da Rosa.
"To win matches, it is very important to correct our defensive mistakes. We must be compact. We gave our opponents too much space," bemoaned Da Rosa who said emphasis in training will be on improving the defence ahead of the Guinea clash. Perhaps the plus for the Zebras is that Guirassy is relatively unfit and might to some extent struggle to impose himself in the match. He has been battling injury in the recent weeks and his participation in the qualifiers was in doubt. There are also unconfirmed reports that he might once again start from the bench tomorrow. Apart from Guirassy, the Zebras will have to watch out for forward, Mohamed Bayo, who is on the books of Le Havre. Bayo is among the leading goal scorers in the French League 1 this season having found the net 14 times in as many games. He scored a brace in the league ahead of the international break. Da Rosa will be glad to hear that Werder Bremen midfielder, Naby Keita has pulled out of the squad.
The former Liverpool star is a vital component of the Guinea side but has struggled to shrug off a recurring thigh injury and has not played any match for Bremen since early October. While there is little coverage of Guinea’s preparations for this match, Guirassy warned that all their opponents should expect to face a very resilient side. “We won't be holding anything back during the qualifiers and will do everything we can to get there (World Cup),’ he told the media in his homeland last week. Just like the Zebras, Guinea have never qualified for the World Cup. Da Rosa is a man who is seemingly under pressure. A second home loss against Guinea will significantly dent the Zebras’ chances of qualifying for their maiden World Cup. A loss might also raise doubts about his credentials and future as he is said to be on a performance-based contract. The positive for him going into tomorrow’s clash is that against Mozambique, the Zebras proved that they can create chances.
The team also managed to score more than one goal in a competitive match. The Zebras have often struggled to convert more than one chance in a match. It is inevitable that the Da Rosa will make several changes in tomorrow’s match. Molaodi Tlhalefang and Mogakolodi Ngele who came in as substitutes on Thursday might start tomorrow. The two players gave the Zebras impetus when going forward and scored the two goals in the loss to Mozambique. Algeria, Mozambique, Guinea, Botswana, Uganda and Somalia sit first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. In another Group G fixture, Algeria will tomorrow face Mozambique, while Somalia face Uganda. Only the nine group winners will automatically qualify for the finals in USA, Canada, and Mexico. One team will enter the FIFA play-off tournament.
