The Sierra Leone Football Association has on the 17th of May 2022 posted on their Twitter page that Bolton Wanderers Striker Amadou Bakayoko has been selected for Leone Stars in the two crunch ties against Nigeria and Guinea Bissau on the 9th and 13th of June 2022.
Amadou Bakayoko was part of the Leone Stars squad that travel to Turkey for three International friendlies that Leone Stars played against Togo, Congo Brazzaville, and the Leon Stars of Liberia, as the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone won two of the friendliest and lost one to Togo.
The Striker is key to John Keister’s plans ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers because Sierra Leone will be playing the first match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on the 9th of June 2022 and will have to host Guinea Bissau on the 13th of May 2022 at the Stade General Lansana Conte Stadium in Conakry Guinea.
Amadou Bakayoko has been instrumental in his club Bolton Wanderers in the Championship in England and he is their key striker.
During the Campaign his experience is highly needed in the Leone Stars. Sierra Leone and Nigeria have met nine times in all competitions and the Super Eagles has gotten the better record against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone.
The last time the two sides met was in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Cameroon where they settle to a (4-4) all draw and a goalless draw in Freetown as Leone Stars of Sierra Leone qualified to their third Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The technical team headed by John Keister is yet to release the final squad of invited players for the next two crunch tie.
Nigeria has lined up two International Friendlies ahead of their matches in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, and is expected to invite a lot of the players that were featured in last international.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar as they lost their return leg match against the Black Stars of Ghana by a goal to nil in Nigeria.
The Football World Governing (FIFA) early has ordered that the Super Eagles Africa Cup of Nations opener has to play behind closed doors.
