Today’s fixtures (Umuganda Stadium-Rubavu)

Congo vs Ivory Coast

-  SS9 (1pm)

Mali    vs Gambia

-  SS9 (3:30pm)

GAMBIA coach Lamin Sambou will be hoping for cooler temperatures this afternoon as his side battle Mali at Umuganda stadium in Rubavu.

The reigning champions were stunned to a 3-0 defeat in their opening Group B match against Congo Brazzaville but Sambou was quick to blame the defeat on the unfriendly hot conditions.

"Most the players have blisters in the feet because of playing on the burning artificial turf but we believe we can still bounce back from our first game loss,” he said.

Gambia, who were tagged pre-tournament favourites face a daunting task against their fellow West Africans who threw away a 1-0 lead to eventually lose 1-2 against Ivory Coast.

The day’s action opens with what should be an interesting contest between Congo Brazzaville and Ivory Coast. Both teams are full of confidence and know that one more win will all but secure their slot in the semi-final as well as earn them a ticket to the U-17 Fifa World Cup slated for June-July in Mexico.

Ends