Senegal head coach Saliou Dia says he is not taking chances with Somalia as the two sides clash in their final Group A match at the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Constantine on Friday.
Senegal have already progressed and are assured of finishing top of the group, and can have the prestige of rotating the squad when they face the debutants.
But coach Dia says he will still field his strongest starting team despite everything working in their favor.
"We are not here to change the team. We will keep the strongest squad. We might change maybe one or two players who have yellow cards but for the rest, we will put in our best team," noted the coach.
He is wary of the Somali side, which he says has shown strong qualities and should not be taken lightly.
"The first match maybe they were not as good because it was their first ever match in the tournament but in the second game against Congo we saw a really good team. They play beautiful football, have focused and determined players and they fight," said coach Dia.
He picked out Somalia's three players; Abdiasis Bahur, Abdalla Osman and Ayub Madey as some of those who have really stood out for him.
Defender Falou Diouf has meanwhile said the players will not relent in their quest to finish the group phase perfectly, and notes they are seeking for a win on Friday.
"We have played two matches and already qualified for the quarter finals so we will approach this next game while calm and under no pressure. We hope to manage the game well and win," he said.
At the same time, Senegal's team say they are not under pressure to follow in the footsteps of their senior teams which have dominated the continent over the last two years.
Senegal holds titles for the senior AFCON, Beach Soccer, Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) and the U20 from Egypt early this year.
"Maybe it can be a motivation for us but the most important thing is that we are here to learn. We are not favorites because Senegal have never qualified for the second round. For us, this here is a positive step. The result is not important as much as the training and experience to build ourselves for the future," noted the coach.
Senegal's two previous qualifications in 2011 and 2019 ended in the group stage.
