| Cape Verde faces Malta and Angola in exhibition games | ||||
|
|
“We’re going to play with our eyes on the future, because unfortunately we’re out of the running for the next World Cup. Our team has quality and we have a consolidated base, with a lot of people who have interpreted our plays well,” João de Deus told Portuguese news agency Lusa. The match against Malta will take place in Ta’Qali, on the island of Malta. Following the game, the Cape Verdean national team will travel to southern Portugal, where it will face off against Angola. João de Deus explains that fans of the Cape Verdean team will see a roster full of innovations. “For these exhibition gamers, we’ll have a mixed team, with some of the players with a long history on the selection, a lot of talents playing in Cape Verde and young athletes from the under-21 selection, which played very well at the Lusophone Games,” said the coach. Questioned regarding the possible rivalry with Angola, João de Deus preferred to highlight the exchange of experiences the game will provide for both teams. “We’ll take advantage of this game to get prepared and to evolve. For Angola, competing with us will also give them useful experiences as the hosts of the next African Cup of Nations, because they’re going to evolve and will surely be better prepared to face the competition,” he concluded. |
The Cape Verdean national soccer selection will play an important exhibition game against Malta today, September 4, followed by another against Angola on September 9. National soccer team coach João de Deus considers these exercises fundamental in getting the players up to rhythm and to correct the mistakes made during the group phase in the qualification tournament for the 2010 World Cup and the African Cup of Nations.