Mali’s coach names strong squad for friendly against Eagles

Mali coach, Alain Giresse, has named a 23-man strong team to face Nigeria in an international friendly in Rouen, France on May 27.

Les Aiglons will face the Super Eagles at the Stade Richon in a game both sides will use to tune up their squads for upcoming engagements.

Mali have a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with South Sudan on June 3 to 5 and will welcome a stern test from a Nigeria team who have lost out in the running for a ticket to Gabon 2017.

Giresse has included Crystal Palace winger, Bakary Sako, KAA Gent’s rising star, Kalifa Coulibaly and Cheick Diabate of Bordeaux.

He has, however, dropped Birama Toure, Molla Wague, Youssouf Kone and Tongo Doumbia, while Werder Bremen’s Sambou Yatabare misses out due to injury.

In the team are Oumar Sissoko (Orleans, France), Djigui Diarra (Stade Malien, Mali) and Aly Yirango (FC Challans, France), all goalkeepers.

The defenders are Salif Coulibaly ( TP Mazembe, DR Congo) and Cheick Keita (Virtues Entella, Italy). Also in the team are Maruis Hamed Assako (Eleven Creators, Mali), Hamari Traoré (Reims, France), Ousmane Coulibaly (Platanias, Greece), Ousseynou Cissé (Beveren-Waaslande, Belgium) and Mohamed Konate (Renaissance Berkane, Morocco).

To contest for positions in the midfield are Idrissa Traoré (Vita Club, DR Congo), Bakary Sako (Crystal Palace, England), Abdoulaye Sissoko (Esperance Sportive of Tunisia), Abdoulaye Traoré (Djoliba AC, Mali), Mamoutou N’Diaye (Rs Antwerp, Belgium), Yacouba Sylla (Rennes, France) and Abdou Traoré (Bordeaux, France).

The strikers in the team include Kalifa Coulibaly (Gent, Belgium), Cheick Tidiane Diabaté (Bordeaux, France), Moussa Doumbia (Rostov, Russia), Tiécoro Keita (Paris FC, France), Modibo Maiga (Al Nasr Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), and Abdoulaye Diaby (FC Bruges, Belgium).