Obackas confident ahead of Cameroon, Congo derby

Congo head coach Jean Elie Ngoya Obackas is hyped ahead of their opening Group E tie against neighbours Cameroon in a highly anticipated Central African derby at the TotalEnergies CHAN 2022 on Monday, January 16 at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran, Algeria.

The Red Devils are competing in the continental competition for the fourth time having reached the quarterfinals in the past two editions in 2018 and 2020 and want to better it.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Obackas said, “We want to start the competition with a lot of calm even though we know that any game against Cameroon is not just about what happens on the pitch so we must also prepare mentally before going into this fixture.”

“The two countries have a lot of history together and therefore when it comes to this fixture, we must make sure that we are ready for the challenge. We are confident that our preparations before flying to Algeria were good and we believe that we shall make a good case for ourselves at this tournament."

Obackas, who is currently building a new project in Congolese football, is excited to try out his biggest test at this CHAN edition that has very good teams.

With 16 players under the age of 23, eight of them U20 and four senior players, Obackas now wants to nurture the next generation of players that will showcase the talent that Congolese players have and to push Congo onto the high table of African football.

At the center of this revamp is 17-year-old Deogracias Maurile Gloire Bassinga who was the top scorer at the UNIFFAC U17 Championship with four goals and is being groomed into a star for the Red Devils.

“I want to hand him his debut for Congo tomorrow. I discovered him last year in August and have been working with him to fine-tune his abilities. He is a great player and tomorrow against Cameroon will be the perfect avenue to launch him,” Obackas revealed about Bassinga.

Meanwhile, Congo captain Carof Bakoua told the media that, “This is a normal game. It is true that it is our first game and that every team here is very good, but we are focused on playing well and winning tomorrow.”

The last time the two sides met at the CHAN was in 2018 in Morocco with the Red Devils edging Cameroon 1-0 thanks to a goal by Junior Makiesse.

Obackas and his side will be hoping to replicate that performance on Monday at 1900hrs GMT.