Cape Verde Set For Early Afcon Arrival

Cape Verde are set to be one of the earliest arrivals in Equatorial Guinea ahead of the Afcon.
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The Blue Sharks will leave their camping base for Ebebiyin six days to the start of the 30th Afcon. This has been explained by the need for the team to adapt to the hot and humid climate of Equatorial Guinea by the start of the tournament.
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Head coach Rui Aguas has announced a preliminary squad of 30 players who will pitch their pre-tournament camp in Lisbon. According to the coach, the list is a reward for players who took part in the qualification process as well as other influential members who are just returning from injuries.
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Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães’ young forward, Ricardo Gomes, is the only surprise of the squad as the rest were all involved in the qualifiers. He is joined by 10 others who play for clubs in Portugal.
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Aguas, a retired Portuguese footballer who took over as head coach in August, will however not take long in naming his final squad as he intends to cut the size down to 23 by mid-week.
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The 54-year-old gaffer wants to have concentrated training beginning January 3 before the team flies to Dakar to play Congo at the Stade Leopold Senghor in their only warm-up game on January 10.
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Aguas, during the squad announcement, said he is aiming to have “the best possible preparation” during the camping period and would like to leave a “good image” at the Afcon.
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They made an imprint at their maiden Afcon at South Africa 2013 where their impressive run was halted in the quarterfinals by Ghana.
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The Blue Sharks will arrive in Equatorial Guinea on January 11 – a week before the opening Group B match with Tunisia. They play DR Congo four days later and then Zambia in their final group match on January 26.