Elephants Coach, Sabri Lamouchi, has revealed that he wouldn't take the Scorpions of The Gambia for granted when the two teams come face to face in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Banjul's Independence Stadium on Saturday.
Lamouchi who was speaking at a press conference at the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, this week, was quoted by the country's football federation official website, that he expects the Scorpions to give his side a tougher test than second placed Tanzania.
"Our first meeting against this selection [of The Gambia] went well. Despite that there were nine new players in our ranks, we beat Gambia (3-0). The hardest part was to score against the team that plays home. They can cause us problems on set pieces. We must respect this team. I even felt that this selection [The Gambia] will be more difficult to play than Tanzania" he said of his side's next two matches. So with this in mind, the Franco-Tunisian wouldn't be taking the Scorpions for granted and has warned his players that if they think of an easy ride against the Scorpions, they might get hurt while adding that he hopes to secure all six points in the two games.
"It is clear, we should not take this game lightly. Playing Gambia and Tanzania is not so exciting but it is very important to take six points. To my players, I will ask them not to put on their clothes but their light blue heater. Because if it is believed that it will be a walkover, it is wrong. My goal is to ensure that everyone is involved in the battle and that brings the maximum points. And for that, people have to be 100% physically and mentally prepared for the game. We will have to focus because in Gambia, it will be a difficult terrain, the battle will not be easy" Lamouchi added.
The Elephants coach have also revealed that the team will start preparing for the game against the Scorpions in the Ivorian Capital at the time of going to press yesterday. The elephants are expected in Banjul on Thursday for the weekend encounter.
"We [will] start preparing from Tuesday. There are players that are already in Abidjan. They will all be here on Monday. We chose to prepare this match at home, I think because at the moment we are playing in Africa, there is no reason why we should not prepare in Côte d'Ivoire. The matches are approaching and no aspect will be spared during this preparation. I need six points in our two outings against Gambia and Tanzania. Gambia in particular, it will be a difficult terrain for us. This means that we should not neglect the adverse environment" he concluded.
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