Sierra Leone National Home base side and their Malian counterpart are set for a thrilling first leg of the CHAN 2023 qualifiers on Saturday, August, 27, 2022 in the Liberian capital.
Runners-up of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2020, Mali will start their race to Algeria 2023 with an away trip against Sierra Leone.
Malian national B team suffered a 2-0 defeat to Morocco in the last CHAN final at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde in February 2021.
Coach Francis Zappa Koroma is fully aware of the task ahead as his side have been in intense preparation for the double cracker.
Sierra Leone hoping to reach the tournament for the first time will go toe to toe with The Les Aigles (The Eagles) of Mali in their second-round first leg at the Samuel Kanyon Doe stadium in Liberia. Kick-off at 4 pm on Saturday, August 27. Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako will host the second leg on Saturday, September 3.
A 33-man contingent led by Pastor Philip Buck, chairman of the Western Football Association (WAFA), has safely arrived in Liberia ahead of the crucial first leg.
The aggregate winner will qualify for the African Nations Championship set for Algeria in January 2023. Sierra Leone holds its first training session on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the match on Saturday. Musa N. Kamara is among the squad to face Mali after missing the previous matches.