Gearing up for Gabon

June 2nd, 2009 | by: Brad |

After a pleasantly surprising 1-0 victory over Cameroon back in March, It’s finally time for Togo to get back on the field for another crucial game. Of course, all games at this stage of World Cup qualifying are crucial but this is an early battle for the Group A lead which would see the winner 3 points clear of 2nd place. The argument can definitely be made that the more important and intriguing game of Group A this weekend is the tilt between powerhouses Morocco and Cameroon, who are both trying to bounce back after a disappointing first game back in March. Without a doubt, if both games produce a winner than there will be a surprise team both at the top of the group and at the bottom.

It will also be interesting to see which Emmanuel Adebayor shows up. Will we have a focused, determined, and dominant striker that would give Gabon fits in the box or will we see a distracted, aloof, and controversial Manny who is more concerned with a possible move to Italy in the near future. Either way, Togo’s success against Gabon (or lack-thereof) will be largely tied to Adebayor.

As far as Gabon goes, I have no idea what to expect. They’ve been surprising people for months now and after a shock 2-1 win over Morocco back in March, they have to be taken seriously. And, believe it or not, Togo has yet to beat Gabon in a senior men’s match, chalking up 2 draws and 4 losses in 6 previous encounters. If Les Eperviers can scratch out at least one point on the road in Libreville, they will be in decent shape heading into the June 20 match against Morocco.

If I can find any team news as far as call-ups and squad lists I’ll be sure to post them.