Absences nightmare strikes Guinea.. Syli National full of wounds before decisive Eritrea battle

Diaby Fadiga's injury worsens Paulo Duarte's crisis before Eritrea matches

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Absences nightmare strikes Guinea.. Syli National full of wounds before decisive Eritrea battle

12.11.26 11:00 AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

Guinea

Eritrea

Guinea's preparations for their crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Eritrea have suffered another setback, with forward Lamine Diaby Fadiga becoming the fourth player to withdraw from Paulo Duarte's squad.

The Rakow Czestochowa attacker sustained an injury during Sunday's Polish league encounter against Legia Warsaw, forcing him off after just 32 minutes and ruling him out of the November international window.

His absence follows those of Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, Nantes defender Saïdou Sow and goalkeeper Soumaïla Sylla leaving Guinea with four withdrawals before their matches on 12 and 16 November.

But the most worrying aspect for Duarte is not simply the number of unavailable players.

Guinea have now lost two attacking options including the man who scored their winning goal against Kenya in the previous international window at a time when every point could prove decisive.

Four withdrawals.. How Guinea's squad crisis developed

The problems began before Diaby Fadiga's injury.

Saidou Sow was ruled out after suffering a knee injury while playing for Nantes against Clermont Foot forcing the Guinean coaching staff to make an early adjustment.

Goalkeeper Soumaïla Sylla subsequently withdrew although the precise reason for his absence has not been publicly clarified.

The biggest setback came when Guirassy sustained a thigh injury during Borussia Dortmund's Champions League match against Real Betis on 4 November.

The striker was replaced in the 34th minute, with subsequent medical examinations indicating an expected absence of four to six weeks.

Then came Sunday's setback involving Diaby Fadiga who was unable to complete the first half against Legia Warsaw.

The latest withdrawal leaves Duarte facing problems across three different areas of his squad although the simultaneous absence of two forwards presents the most immediate tactical concern.

❌ 𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗕𝗬-𝗙𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗔 𝗗𝗘́𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗧, 𝗨𝗡 𝟰ᵉ 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗣 𝗗𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗬𝗟𝗜 ! La liste des forfaits s’allonge au sein du Syli national. Après Saïdou Sow, Soumaïla Sylla et Serhou Guirassy, Lamine Diaby-Fadiga est également contraint de renoncer au rassemblement de novembre. L’attaquant de Raków a quitté ses coéquipiers sur blessure ce dimanche, dès la 32ᵉ minute du match face au Legia Varsovie.
— Cherif Sow (@Cherifsowgn) November 8, 2026

Without Guirassy and Diaby Fadiga.. Who will score Guinea's goals?

Guirassy's absence is particularly significant because of his recent contribution to Guinea's qualification campaign.

The Dortmund striker scored the only goal in Guinea's 1-0 victory over Kenya during the previous international window securing their first three points after an opening defeat against South Africa.

His injury removes a proven goalscorer and a central figure in Guinea's attacking structure.

Diaby Fadiga's withdrawal compounds the problem by reducing the alternatives available to Duarte.

The Portuguese coach must now decide whether to rely on the remaining attacking options or adjust his approach to distribute attacking responsibilities more widely.

The original squad included players such as Aliou Balde, Yadaly Diaby and Thierno Barry while Ousmane Conde was subsequently called up from Czech club Karvina following Sow's withdrawal.

Conde's inclusion provides another attacking option although it remains unclear whether Duarte will make further changes following the latest injury.

Three points behind South Africa.. Why the pressure is growing

Guinea's injury problems come at a particularly sensitive moment in Group D.

After two qualifying matches, South Africa lead the standings with six points while Guinea occupy second place with three.

The Syli National began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat against Bafana Bafana before recovering to beat Kenya 1-0.

However, the qualification rules create an additional complication.

As CAF confirmed in its official November qualifying preview, Kenya have already qualified automatically as one of the three tournament hosts.

Consequently, only the highest placed team other than Kenya in Group D will qualify for AFCON 2027.

This means Guinea cannot simply rely on finishing second in the conventional sense.

They must finish ahead of South Africa and Eritrea in the contest for the group's only available qualification place.

Two victories over Eritrea would take Guinea to nine points but even a perfect November window would not necessarily put them ahead of South Africa who face Kenya twice.

That makes maintaining momentum essential, especially with a direct meeting against Bafana Bafana still to come in March 2027.

🚨LAMINE DIABY-FADIGA FORFAIT AVEC LE SYLI NATIONAL POUR LA TRÊVE INTERNATIONALE ! L’international guinéen s’est blessé face au Legia et va manquer le rassemblement de la Guinée. Lamine Diaby-Fadiga rejoint une infirmerie qui commence à se remplir notamment avec l’absence de, Serhou Guirassy, Saidou Sow et Soumaila Sylla.
— 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲́𝗲𝗻𝘀 🇬🇳🐘 (@Joueurs_GN) November 9, 2026

Conakry and Cairo.. Two matches with major consequences

Guinea will host Eritrea at the Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry on Thursday, 12 November before facing the same opponents in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, 16 November.

Both fixtures are scheduled to begin at 16:00 GMT.

The double header offers Guinea an opportunity to strengthen their position ahead of the final two qualifying rounds.

This article follows our newsroom’s editorial standards. To learn more about how we create and fact-check our content, see our Editorial Policy .

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.