The Gambia U-20 team are all but set for the first leg of the 2011 African Youth Championship qualifying fixture against Sierra Leone tomorrow [Saturday] at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

Coach Lamin Sarr, who was only drafted in to take charge of the team last month after the football association's failure to land a foreign coach, has expressed high hopes over his side's chances of qualifying for the continental youth finals. Sarr currently has the services of some foreign-based players for SaturdayÂ's home fixture, but only the former U-17 hitman Saihou Gassama, who currently plies his trade with Real Zaragoza in Spain and Omar Jasseh, commonly known as Waterman, from MLS are notable among the little unknown overseas stars.

A source close to the team's Manjai Lodge camp also informed Observer Sports that star striker Ebrima Bojang, defender Emmanuel Gomez and midfielder Paul Jatta Jatta have failed to make the list due to an injury. Sierra Leone knocked out Algeria over two legs in the preliminary round that did not involve the Darling Scorpions, who drew a bye.

Victory over Sierra Leone will leave the Gambian side with just one more round to go before qualification for the finals which will take place in Libya in early 2011. Bronze medallists at the 2007 edition hosted in Congo Brazzaville, the Darling Scorpions, under the current indigenous coach Lamin Sarr, failed to qualify for the 2009 CAF U-20 edition held in Rwanda after falling to the eventual champions Ghana at the final hurdle.