Guinea-Bissau Coach Plays Down Pitch Concerns Ahead of Nigeria Clash

Guinea-Bissau head coach Emiliano Te has played down concerns about the state of the pitch at the September 24 Stadium in Bissau, ahead of Tuesday's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria.

Heavy rain in Bissau has left the surface waterlogged, raising doubts over its condition for the Group L clash. Nigeria got their own look at the pitch during a training session on Monday, held under light rain.

Te insisted there's little either side can do about conditions out of their control, urging his players to stay focused on the game itself.

"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," he said at his pre-match press 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 head coach Eric Chelle also avoided being drawn into the debate over the pitch, saying his team's focus is purely on the match itself.

"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 sides go into the match on the back of opening wins. Guinea-Bissau beat Tanzania 2-0 in their first qualifier, while Nigeria came from behind to beat Madagascar 2-1. In the other Group L fixture taking place on the same day, Madagascar will host Tanzania.