Guinea suffer triple blow as Serhou Guirassy, Lamine Fadiga and Moriba Kourouma withdraw from squad

Guinea have suffered a setback ahead of their upcoming double-header against Eritrea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after three players initially selected by head coach Paulo Duarte were forced to withdraw from the squad.

The Guinean Football Federation has confirmed that Serhou Guirassy, Lamine Diaby Fadiga and Moriba Kourouma will not be available for the third and fourth matchdays of the qualifying campaign, prompting the technical team to make changes to the squad.

The withdrawals come just days before the Syli National begin their preparations for the two encounters, with Duarte now having to adjust his plans following the unavailability of the trio.

Lamine Diaby Fadiga is the first player to withdraw after sustaining an injury that has ruled him out of the international assignments.

To fill the vacancy, Duarte has handed a call-up to Bertin Simitri Jacquesson, a striker who currently plays for Oakland Roots in the United States. The forward will now have an opportunity to prove himself as he joins the Guinean national team setup.

Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy will also miss the double-header after withdrawing for medical reasons.

His absence represents another change to Guinea’s attacking options, with Kerfalla Dada Cissoko of Russian club Rodina Moscow receiving a call-up as his replacement.

The third change involves Moriba Kourouma, who has also been ruled out of the upcoming fixtures, forcing the national team management to seek another option in midfield.

Duarte has subsequently called up Mohamed Chérif Haïdara, a defensive midfielder who plays for Danish side Sønderjyske Elitesport, to take Kourouma’s place in the squad.

The three withdrawals mean Guinea will have to approach their upcoming assignments without some of the players originally included in Duarte’s selection, with the newly invited trio expected to integrate into the squad ahead of the encounters.

The Syli National are scheduled to face Eritrea in a double-header as part of the third and fourth matchdays of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

With qualification points at stake, Duarte will be hoping the replacements can settle quickly and provide the necessary depth as Guinea look to maintain their ambitions in the race for a place at the continental showpiece.