Madagascar coach Rakotondrabe Romuald believes that in addition to the tactical and physical readiness for Monday's penultimate clash against Sudan, mental strength will be the deciding factor on who advances to the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The Islanders face a wounded Sudan, who are aiming for nothing less than a victory to decide who advances to the knockout stages of the competition, in what promises to be a fiery clash between the two sides.
Even though the Malagasy come into the clash with a slight edge, having won their opening match against Ghana and getting a walk-over in their second fixture against Morocco, Romuald is not leaving anything to chance, cautioning that the job is far from done and that they need to aim for a victory.
"We won our first match which of course puts us in a slightly better position in the group but there is still football to be played and that requires us to be at our best. It is 24-hours before the match and we are ready but what will be key is our mental strength because they will throw everything at us. We need to be ready physically but more importantly psychologically, as that will be the deciding factor tomorrow," said the coach.
Asked on what he makes of the Sudanese team, the coach said he believes that they are more experienced - singling out their marksman, Mohamed Yousif as a dangerous threat.
"We watched the team play on Thursday and they are a very strong team. They have players who can turn the match at any given point, more especially their number 10 (Yousif), he is a very good player that we need to be careful of. We will be prepared and just like them, we are aiming for the win even though a draw will be enough to see us through" said Romuald.
Speaking on behalf of his teammates, Randrianiaina Tantely emphasized the importance of team work and solidarity ahead of the crucial tie.
"We have prepared well for the game and know what is at stake. The team knows that we need to aim for the win, but it certainly won't be easy. We need to trust ourselves and solidarity will be key. Even if they are strong and more experienced, we know that if we are united and work together, we can get the result" said a confident Tantely.
Kick-off at the Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium will be at 2000 GMT.
