BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
When the Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles host their Guinean counterparts in the first leg of the last lap to Morocco 2023 CAF U23 Nations Cup, their opponents will be largely a foreign legion.
Sports Village Square can report that only seven out of the 23 Guinean players called to camp by Coach Morlaye Cisse are home-based.
The home based players are Mory Kéita of Fello Star, the SOAR Academie duo of Bangaly Cissé and Ousmane Papa Conté, Mohamed Soumah of AS Kaloum, Sékou Oumar Sylla of Wakriya AC and Horoya AC duo of Fodé Camara and Alsény Soumah.
Below is the 21-man list composed of three goalkeepers, seven defenders, five midfielders and six attackers.
Goalkeepers: LASSANA Diakhaby (Valenciennes), SÉKOU Camara (Renaissance FC, Cameroon), Mory Kéita (Fello Star)
-Defenders: Naby CAMARA (SC SFAX, Tunisia), Bangaly Cissé (SOAR Academie), Cheick Thiam-(Zulte Waregem) Mohamed Soumah – (AS Kaloum) – Naby Youssouf Oularé, (Boluspor, Turkey) Sékou Oumar Sylla, (Wakriya AC), Ousmane Papa Conté (SOAR Academie)
Midfielders-Ibrahima Breze Fofana (Hammarby, Sweden), Sekou Bangoura (Genclerbirligi), Mohamed L. Soumah (Chartres, France), Fodé Camara (Horoya AC), Ousmane Coumbassa (OL. BEJA)
Strikers: Alsény Soumah (Horoya AC) -Alkhaly Momo CISSÉ (Wisla K, Poland.), Aguibou Camara (Atromitos, Greece), Algassime Bah (Olympiacos), Ousmane Camara (AJ Auxerre), -Momo Fanyé Touré (Volga U, Russia).
The return leg will be played in Morocco where Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles will hope to return to for the CAF U23 Nations Cup in May. The competition also serves as the qualifiers for the football event of Paris 2024 Olympics.