Lesotho finalized their squad for a friendly match against Togo on Wednesday June 14, 2023. Paulo Duarte’s men are also gathering in Johannesburg. Intense preparation is underway to face this small South African country in a friendly match. Here is what the two teams have in common during this period of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) qualifiers.
Lesotho seems to be one of Togo’s twins in this period of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Both teams are struggling to achieve their dream of participating in Total Energie Côte d’Ivoire 2023.
The Basothos are in Group H with Comoros, Zambia and Ivory Coast, host of the next AFCON. Like Togo, the Lesotho team is yet to register a single victory since the start of the qualifiers.
They are last in the group with a single point conceded in their match against Côte d’Ivoire (0-0) on June 09, 2022. Veselin Jelusic’s men are no longer allowed to make mistakes. They will have to win in their last two days and still wish for a few more miracles in Group H.
“We are preparing for the game against Comoros with the intention of playing a good game and getting a good result,” Coach Veselin Jelusic said.
“We know that the game will be very tough because Comoros still have a chance to qualify for the next Afcon, depending on the result of the game between Zambia and Ivory Coast. In addition, all their players come from European clubs with a high level of quality and competitive experience. But we will fight to the end for the prestige of Lesotho football”, the technician added as he reveals his 26-man selection that will take on Togo in the friendly.
For their part, the Sparrowhawks of Togo are also in a critical period. They have only two points thanks to their draws at home (1-1) against Burkina Faso last March and (2-2) against Eswatini in June 2022.
Togo at the bottom of Group B must win all remaining matches and still keep their fingers crossed.
The friendly match between Togo and Lesotho is scheduled for tomorrow at Bidvest Stadium, at 2:00 p.m GMT. While the Eswatini-Togo clash will be played on Sunday, June 18, at the Mbombela stadium (3:00 p.m. GMT).