Guinea-Bissau dismiss surface worries before Super Eagles’ AFCON qualifier

Guinea-Bissau coach Emiliano Te has played down concerns about the waterlogged pitch at the September 24 Stadium before Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria.

Heavy rain in Bissau has left the playing surface saturated, prompting questions over whether it will be suitable for the important Group L fixture.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles inspected the pitch during training on Monday, with the session taking place in light rain. However, Te said neither side could influence the conditions and called on his players to concentrate on the match rather than the surface.

“We are playing in Africa and we know that our pitch is not one of the best, but it is what it is. It is what we have and we cannot do anything about it,” Te said during his pre-match news conference.

“We also don’t like to play on it the way it is now, but we can’t control that because it is raining and they try their best to make it good.”

Nigeria manager Eric Chelle also refused to debate whether the pitch was in an acceptable condition, saying his priority was ensuring his team remained focused on its performance.

“I don’t want to say whether the pitch is good or the pitch is bad. We just need to stay focused on our game,” Chelle told reporters on Monday.

“We have to manage and we will see how it is during the training session too before the game.”

Both countries opened their qualifying campaigns with victories.

Guinea-Bissau began with a 2-0 win over Tanzania’s Taifa Stars, while Nigeria edged Madagascar’s Barea 2-1 in a hard-fought match.

Those results leave both sides looking to maintain their winning starts in a fixture that could strengthen their position in Group L.

The remaining match in the group will see Madagascar play Tanzania.