Chad get their quest for a first-ever Africa Cup of Nations appearance underway when they journey to the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex to take on Sierra Leone on Friday.
Both sides have been drawn in Group G of the qualifiers and will battle with 2012 winners Zambia and defending champions Ivory Coast for a place in Morocco next year.
Match preview
Sierra Leone kept their dreams of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup alive when they fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Burkina Faso at the Stade du 26 Mars on June 10.
After falling behind to goals from Dango Ouattara and Lassina Traore, the Leone Stars upped the ante in the second half as Augustus Kargbo pulled one back in the 58th minute before Amadou Bakayoko restored parity with an 87th-minute strike.
Sierra Leone had picked up one point from their opening two games in Group A, but a run of one win and one draw in their subsequent two matches has rekindled their World Cup dreams as they currently sit fourth in the table, one point behind second-placed Guinea-Bissau in the playoff spot.
Having missed out on a place in the 2023 AFCON, head coach Amidu Karim will hope his side can take the positives from their resolute display against Burkina Faso and kick off their quest for a place in Morocco on the front foot.
Sierra Leone, who suffered a group-stage exit from the continental showpiece three years ago, picked up just one win in the 2023 qualifiers while losing three and claiming two draws to collect five points and finish third in Group A, eight points off runners-up Guinea-Bissau.
Chad, on the other hand, were left empty handed yet again in the World Cup qualifiers as they suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Comoros at the Stade Municipal de Bohicon on June 11.
Following a relatively uneventful first half, Comoros took the initiative after the break with Myziane Maolida opening the scoring to put them in front before El Fardou Ben doubled the lead with a 76th-minute strike.
Chad, who are currently 178th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, have now lost each of their four matches in the World Cup qualifying race, conceding nine goals and scoring once, to sit rock-bottom in Group I.
Kevin Nicaise's side will look to put this poor run behind them as they get their quest for a first-ever AFCON appearance underway, having picked up a 3-1 aggregate victory over Mauritius in the preliminary round of the qualifiers back in March.
A 93rd-minute goal from Mahamat Thiam saw Chad edge out Mauritius 1-0 in the first leg on March 22, four days before they picked up a 2-1 victory in the return leg at the National Sports Complex Pitch 1 to complete a 3-1 win over the Dodos.
Team News
Sierra Leone have named a 25-man squad for their qualifying games against Chad and Zambia, with Karim sticking with the majority of the players called up during June's international break.
Kargbo, who was on target against Burkina Faso last time out, should lead the Leone Stars' attack once again, alongside Daniel Kanu and Cambridge United forward Sullay Kaikai.
Emmanuel Samadiya, Abdul Kabia and skipper Osman Kakay should start at the defensive end of the pitch, shielding 25-year-old Mohamed Kamara between the sticks.
Nicaise has called up 26 players to the Chad camp, with the likes of Jourdain Mbaynaissem, defender Ahmat Abdaraman and Acyl Mbogo headlining the team.
Foullah FC have eight players in the squad, including goalkeeper Kourdina Mangana, defender Warna Temoua and striker Mahamat Kita, while the Aiglons attacking duo of Fabien Djenaoum and Yannick Masra have been named.
Sierra Leone possible starting lineup:
Kamara; Samadiya, Dunai, Kabia, Kakay; P Koroma, A Koroma, Sillah; Kargbo, Kanu, Sullay Kaikai
Chad possible starting lineup:
Mbaynaissem; Titnanbaye, Abdaraman, Abdoulaye; Allarabaye, Abanga, Youssouf, Mbogo; Kita, Masra, Djedanoum
We say: Sierra Leone 2-0 Chad
Sierra Leone have named a strong squad for September's qualifiers and will be backing themselves against a Chad side who have won just two of their last 20 matches. That said, we predict that Karim's men will put up a solid performance at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex and secure all three points.
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