Sierra Leone’s newly appointed head coach, Amidu Karim, will officially start his reign against Gernot Rohr’s side at the Stade Khourribga in Casablanca, Morocco, later this afternoon.
Both nations are preparing for next month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Kickoff at 3:30 PM Sierra Leone time.
Sierra Leone will be looking to avoid a third straight defeat following defeats to Nigeria and Guinea-Bissua in the African Cup of Nations 2023 match day five and six qualifiers.
Like Sierra Leone, Benin suffered a 3-2 defeat to Mozambique in the final Group L Afcon 2023 qualifier.
Defenders Curtis Davies and Augustine Loof will not be available for the Benin contest as they await Fifa clearance on the Football Association switch. However, they’ll be ready to face Somalia in the Fifa tier two duel on Tuesday.
Today’s contest will be the fifth meeting between the two West African nations – their last was when both contested in the race to Cameroon Afcon. Leone Stars came out supremed in the Guinean Capital with a 1-0 victory in June 2021 to reach the 2021 Cup of Nations with Kei Kamara’s only goal.
The Cheetahs of Benin won the first meeting in that qualifiers at the Stade Charles de Gaulle, Porto Novo 1-0 on 17 November 2019.
In their last four meeting – Benin won three out of four – in October 2006, they defeated Leone Stars 2-0, the same result on 12 October 2007 through Oumar Tchomogo brace.
Benin is in Group C against Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho in the race to the 2026 World Cup.
Sierra Leone in Group A against Ethiopia, powerhouse Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau and Djibouti are the others in the race to the 2026 World Cup.
The continental journey to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada will begin in November 2023.
Let's go Leone Stars #SaloneTwitter pic.twitter.com/mtHMaSvnyC
— @football_sierra (FSL Media) 🇸🇱 website (@football_sierra) October 14, 2023
Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, the writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32, Contact Bittar@footballsierraleone.net. National News.
