Mali's U23 coach Baolara Alou Diallo belieives his players are more than motivated to win the TotalEnergies CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2023 trophy as they kick off their campaign on Sunday.

Mali will face Gabon in the second Group B match in the Moroccan town of Tangier on Sunday.

Although the coach Baolara Alou Diallo admits that Mali failed to win a single match at the U23 AFCON 2019, he makes it clear that this team is hungry and determined to reach far.

"We are here to participate and be competitive with very clear objectives. This is a complicated competition and the opening matches are always very crucial," admitted the coach.

He said despite the difficulties they encountered in the qualifiers, he picked a good team that will be able to perform and make the people of Mali proud. "We have a highly ambitious and motivated team who want to win this competition," he added.

Diallo added that having many players who ply their trade with teams in Europe is an added advantage because they have gained lots of experience I competitive atmospheres.

"The players know what we expect of them and our first objective will be to win the opening match against Gabon on Sunday," added Diallo.

He also made it clear that they have taken time to study the Gabon team and will take every detail into consideration inorder to get a good result in the opening match. "My players are ready and in high spirits with a winning mindset," concluded Diallo.

Player: Fode Doucoune

The Red Star (France) based player says they are highly motivated to work as a team and perform well to qualify for the Olympics.

"We are confident of our abilities and must make sure we play our cards the right way starting with Gabon," added Doucoune.