Senegal National Football Team Captain Kalidou Koulibaly says they will not underrate the Flames whom they face in back-to-back 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers starting this Friday in Dakar.
The lanky defender, who plays for Saudi Arabian top league side Al Hilal, was quoted by PressAfrik.com as having said that he has memories of their encounter against the Flames at the delayed 2021 Afcon finals in Cameroon in January 2022 which ended goalless.
Senegal went on to win the tournament for the first time after beating Egypt’s Pharaohs on post-match penalties.
Said the former Chelsea centreback: “There are no longer small teams in Africa. We played them in Cameroon in the group stage and they frustrated us… They were all over us. That should tell us that they are a side with strong determination.
“We cannot, therefore, look down upon them as lightweights. No. That’s not football.
“They are bottom of the group, but that should not make us lose focus.”
The West Africans were scheduled to regroup yesterday ahead of Friday’s encounter.
Meanwhile, the Flames, who arrived in Dakar on Sunday evening, had their first training session yesterday morning.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka said in an interview that four foreign-based players, namely, Zambia-based duo of Chawanangwa Kaonga and Robert Saizi and the pair of Democratic Republic of Congo-based Patrick Mwaungulu and Lanjesi Nkhoma joined the team yesterday.
Mozambique-based Yamikani Chester and Lloyd Njaliwa as well as Dennis Chembezi, who is based in Iraq, are supposed to arrive today.
The Flames anchor Group L with no point, having lost both their games to Burundi 3-2 at home and Burkina Faso 3-1 away.
Burkina Faso top the group. They are tied on four points with second-placed Senegal and are separated by goal difference while Burundi are third with three points.
