The Gambia National U-17 team that endured a disappointing start to the FIFA's third biggest tournament the U-17 World Cup which kicked-off in Nigeria last Saturday will go into today's game hoping to put an end to what many described as the team's worst start to an international competition in recent years as they prepared to lock horns withfellow strugglers and group mates' Neitherlands that have also made a slow start to the campaign with a 2-one loss to group leaders Colombia on Sunday.
Both The Gambia and the Neitherlands that failed in their attempts to secure the first victory of the campaign are fully aware of the fact that a defeat for any of them would absolutely dent their hope of progressing to the next stage of the tournament and this is expected to be a titanic battle when the two sides meet today at 3pm.
The Gambian side that have been heavily criticised for undergoing a three-week training camp in the United Kingdom instead of choosing an African country as the venue for the international training camp are yet to catch the eyes of most of the Gambian people who have since attributed the problem to the departure of as many as 14 players who all played their part in helping the country to another historic moment in Algeria recently as a result of the MRI test they underwent in Dakar, a month ago.
But if the words of the Head Coach of the Gambian side Tarik Siagy are anything to lean on, the Baby Scorpions will not relent in their effort to recover from a disappointing start to the FIFA U-17 World Cup currently in session in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Gambia U-17 team that have a total of two African U-17 championship titles to their name are highly tipped to make a huge impact in the tournament but they have been the biggest disappointment so far due to their level of commitment and collectivity, a football fan told our reporter yesterday.
Despite the absence of U-17 duo Buba Sama and Demba Cris Janneh who received their marching orders in the Baby scorpions 2-nil defeat in the hands of the Asian champions Iran four days ago, hopes are high on the Gambian side's possibility of recovering from their poor start to the championship when they entertain Neitherlands in what could be referred to as a mouth-watering encounter when the two sides clash today in Calabar.
The baby scorpions that will face a daunting task of collecting their first win against Neitherlands that is also preparing to collect their first win of the campaign later in the day needs to put their house in order so as to avoid an early exist from the championship.
