Guinea-Bissau coach, Emiliano Té, has dismissed concerns about the condition of the playing surface at the 24 de Setembro Stadium ahead of Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounter with Nigeria.
The Super Eagles will face the Djurtus in their second Group L fixture at the 20,000-capacity stadium, with both nations seeking to build on victories in their opening matches.
Guinea-Bissau began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 away win over Tanzania, while Nigeria defeated Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo to also make a winning start.
The state of the pitch has attracted attention because of the rainy season in Guinea-Bissau, with heavy rainfall capable of leaving the surface soft and uneven and affecting the movement of the ball.
Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle also acknowledged the need to adapt to the conditions but said his focus remained on the game.
“I don’t want to say whether the pitch is good or the pitch is bad. We just need to stay focused on our game. We have to manage and we will see how it is during the training session too before the game,” Chelle said.
Té, who replaced former Portugal international Luis Boa Morte in 2025 following his dismissal after eight consecutive defeats, admitted that the pitch was not ideal but said the hosts had little control over the situation.
“We are playing in Africa and we know that our pitch is not one of the best, but it is what it is. It is what we have and we cannot do anything about it,” he said at the pre-match press conference.
The Guinea-Bissau coach added, “We also don’t like to play on it the way it is now, but we can’t control that because it is raining and they try their best to make it good,” Té said.
Tuesday’s fixture will be the fifth meeting between Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau, with the Super Eagles having won their last two encounters.
The Djurtus recorded a famous 1-0 victory over Nigeria in Abuja in the first leg of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, with Mama Baldé scoring the decisive goal.
Nigeria secured revenge in the return fixture in Bissau, as Moses Simon converted a 30th-minute penalty to give the Super Eagles a 1-0 victory.
