Equatorial Guinea/Tunisia: Hosts Take on Tunisia in Afcon Quarter-Finals

Viera Ellong Doualla of Equatorial Guinea (18) leads players in celebrating winning their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
30 January 2015

Tunisia coach George Leekens says his side will not feel the pressure of playing the home nation Equatorial Guinea in their African Nations Cup quarter-final in Bata on Saturday night (kick-off 19h30 GMT).

The stadium is expected to be overflowing for the encounter, which has generated massive interest in one of Africa's smallest countries, and the atmosphere is likely to be a tense one for the Tunisians.

But Leekens says his side are well used to the hazards of playing away in front of massive crowds and will not be intimidated from the stands.

He goes as far as to say it will be a motivating factor for his side and could also work in their favour if they get an early goal and the focus is turned onto the performance of the home team.

"Playing in the presence of 30,000 spectators? This is a good point for us since the public encourages players to excel and in addition it can put pressure on the home team," Leekens told reporters.

"Equatorial Guinea is a good team, but our players are accustomed to tense atmospheres. Nothing frightens us."

The Belgian coach does admit it will be a tough challenge though and says Tunisia must find a way to counter the pace of the likes of Emilio Nsue and Javier Balboa.

"We know that Equatorial Guinea are a well balanced team with some pace upfront. It will not be easy," he said.

Having described his side's run to the quarter-finals as a 'Cinderella Story', Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker says the key to their success has been to play positive football and not allow their opponents to put them under pressure.

"This squad only came together 20 days ago in Madrid, then we went to Lisbon and put in place a style of play with optimism," he said.

"We were convinced in every training session that we could go far. To be in the top eight in Africa is an honour for such a small nation."

Tunisia have not passed the last eight since winning the Nations Cup on home soil in 2004, losing at this stage of the competition in 2006, 2008 and 2012.

Equatorial Guinea made the quarter-finals on home soil three years ago, but lost 3-0 against Ivory Coast in Malabo.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.