AFCON 2027 qualifiers - Senegal: Patrick Vieira reveals his ambition against Sudan

12.11.26 14:00 AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

Senegal

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Sudan

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Ahead of facing Sudan tomorrow at the Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium in the third round of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, Patrick Vieira answered questions from journalists at a press conference on Wednesday.

The coach spoke about the importance of approaching the match with humility and seriousness. The aim is to put in a good performance and win in front of the Senegalese fans.

“There will be no special preparation in that regard. What is really important for us is to prepare for this match as we did against Mozambique or Ethiopia. There are no easy games. We will approach this match with a great deal of humility and seriousness. From there, the important thing for us is to improve from game to game. My objective, of course, is to win this match. It is an important game in front of our fans. It will be important for us to put in a very good performance and win. To do that, we need to play cohesive football and be very good as a team in order to deliver a fine performance,” said the Lions’ coach.

Patrick Vieira discusses his vision of the game

The Senegal coach also shed light on how he wants the Lions to play. “It is important to me that the players understand what I am asking of them. I ask them to play with intensity, to bring speed and plenty of tempo to our passing,” he explained.

It should be noted that in their first three matches under him, the 2025 African champions had shown attacking intent at times, but had struggled considerably in their play, much to the displeasure of the fans and some observers. “One area we also need to improve is converting the chances we create,” Patrick Vieira acknowledged. “We need to be more aggressive and more present in the opposition box. Senegal today is not the Senegal of 10 years ago. Senegal is now one of the best nations in Africa and in the world,” the coach added.

Senegalese fans want more

Patrick Vieira is aware that Senegalese fans have high expectations of their coaches. However, the former Nice manager remains confident in his mission. “The fans no longer expect us simply to win, but to do so in style. But those expectations do not frighten me at all, because we have talented players, players with quality who play for major clubs. Then my role is to implement a playing project that allows those players to show their talent. The Senegal team must control the game and possession,” Vieira continued. “We have to dictate the pace of the match. I am quite satisfied with what I have seen so far. We are on the right track. Now we need to take a step forward compared with the last international break in terms of our collective play, with and without the ball,” he assured.

Also read: United States: Cédric Bakambu enters legal battle after leaving San Diego FC

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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