
Senegal coach Alain Giresse (Photo: Reuters)
Senegal coach Alain Giresse said he is not shocked despite being placed with Egypt and Tunisia in what was labeled the group of death of the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
"It is not a tough or an easy draw. There are no little opponents at this stage of competition. I was expecting anything during this draw. Now everything will be decided on the pitch," he was quoted as saying on Senegalese newspaper Le Soleil.
The draw held on Sunday in Cairo paired Egypt, Tunisia and Senegal in Group G additionally to the winner between Burundi and Botswana, Centrafrique and Guinée-Bissau who will face each others in the preliminary round.
"Egypt is a big nation of football on the African level. However the other two opponents are not to be neglected. Our main target is to reach the finals and that is a lot of motivation for us," the French tactician added.
Senegal didn't reach the CAN 2013 neither did Egypt the seven-time African Champions who missed the past couple of editions in 2012 and 2013 just after winning an unprecedented triple in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
The qualifiers' draw will be made up of seven groups with four teams each. Home and away fixtures will take place.
Nine of the 28 teams will qualify for the Nations Cup: The group winners and runner-ups, along with the best third-placed side. The host team, Morocco, will automatically qualify for the biannual tournament that will be held from 17 January to 8 February 2015.
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