Sierra Leone’s national football team, the Leone Stars, under the guidance of head coach John Keister, has revealed their provisional squad consisting of 38 players. This announcement comes ahead of their upcoming Group A 2023 AFCON qualifiers against Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles.
The Sierra Leone Football Association shared the names of the 38 shortlisted players through their official Twitter account. The squad comprises 12 players who are based abroad and 26 players who are based in Sierra Leone.
Prior to the match against the Super Eagles, Coach Keister is expected to trim down the squad, finalizing the selected players who will participate in the game.
The scheduled match between Sierra Leone and the Super Eagles will take place on Sunday, June 8th, hosted in Monrovia, Liberia. This encounter marks match-day five of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
The decision to hold the game in Liberia is a result of Sierra Leone’s inability to provide a suitable venue. Their initial meeting in the qualifiers occurred in June 2022, in Abuja, where the Super Eagles managed to overturn a goal deficit and secure a 2-1 victory over Sierra Leone.
At present, the Super Eagles lead Group A with nine points after four games, while Sierra Leone sits in third place with five points.
It’s worth noting that the top two teams from the group will earn qualification for the AFCON tournament in Côte d’Ivoire next year.