Guinea coach Pauli Duarte urged to end experimentation ahead of AFCON qualifiers

Guinea head coach Pauli Duarte has been urged to settle on his strongest team as the Syli National prepare to open their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against South Africa.

Guinea will face Bafana Bafana at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, 26 September, in their opening Group D fixture.

The group also includes Eritrea and Kenya, although Kenya have already secured their place at the 2027 tournament as one of the co-hosts alongside Tanzania and Uganda.

That leaves South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea competing for the group’s remaining qualification place, increasing the importance of every fixture between the three sides.

Guinea missed out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and will be determined to avoid another absence from the continental tournament.

With the qualifying campaign approaching, Guinean sports consultant Thierno Saïdou Diakité believes Duarte must now have a settled squad and a clear tactical plan.

Diakité said the coach should select players based on current form and their ability to execute his preferred system, while acknowledging that any squad selection would inevitably attract debate.

“Regarding the coach’s choices, I have a line of reasoning that I hold dear: I assume that the coach calls up the players who are in the best shape at the moment, and those in whom he believes he is capable of translating his game plan and tactical scheme onto the field,” Diakité told Guinee360.

“Whatever list the coach draws up, it will be debated. That’s why I generally prefer to give my opinion after the matches have been played.

“And besides, there’s an immutable rule everywhere: a national team is supposed to be made up of the players who are in the best form at the moment.”

Diakité believes Duarte has had sufficient time to assess his options and should no longer be using the qualifiers as an opportunity to experiment with different combinations.

“I would like to emphasise that our coach has had ample time to build a definitive team with solid foundations,” he added.

“The trial period is over, with the qualifiers just weeks away. He should already have a clear picture of the future Syli National team that will take to the field in the two upcoming matches.”

Guinea’s opening assignment against South Africa will be followed by a trip to face Eritrea four days later.

The two matches could prove significant in shaping the early Group D standings, with Guinea needing a strong start if they are to secure a return to the Africa Cup of Nations after missing the 2025 edition.

For Duarte, the message from Diakité is clear: the experimentation phase should now be over, with results becoming the priority as Guinea begin their qualification campaign.