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Preview: Battle for Sydney territory as Sierra Leone go head to head with arch-rivals Cape Verde

By Martin Wusha Conteh
Sierra Leone will entertain their bitter rivals, Cape Verde in the Sydney-World Cup semi final on Sunday at Potts Park complex, Yagoona. Sierra Leone skipper Ibrahim Kamara does not believe there is any fixture like Sierra Leone against Cape Verde. Kamara scored a hat-trick to lead his team to a 5-3 victory against Lebanon in the quarter-final. Both teams will be focusing on the match, and the players Hassan Jalloh (Cape Verde) and Kallie Bangura (Sierra Leone) will be looking to win the Golden Boot Award, having scored five goals each. Cape Verde is a team made up of Sierra Leonean players who felt they had been abandoned by the technical team back in 2020. Sierra Leoneans living in Sydney are advised not to miss this exciting match on Sunday. However, captain and leader of Cape Verde, Foday Kamara speaks to this press that "it's clear that there is confidence in the Cape Verde camp ahead of the derby." He said: "Maybe this game will be different, maybe Sierra Leone will be afraid of us this time as we are hungry and more determined this time;" he told AWE-Media. When asked whether the Cape Verde camp will be quiet ahead this derby; he replied: "Ours is not going to be quiet because this is a derby match and we are expecting a good match on Sunday against our rivals," he said He continued: "We haven't won against Sierra Leone in our four previous meetings, so going to this match. We are very well prepared and let's see how it works". "It's a tough time for us because we are missing key players who are currently playing in the ongoing Australia Premier League but that's not an excuse, we will see but don't write Cape Verde off because we are ready and as the skipper I can't wait for Sunday's clash. "We have played against them four times, one in a competitive match (Africa Cup of Nations) which we lost in Group stage but the other encounters are friendlies. We are all Sierra Leoneans and close friends but you know when we get to the pitch we forget our friendship because both teams want to claim supremacy", he warned. The Sierra Leone captain has warned his players over complacency ahead of the derby. Kamara has won the Sydney-Nations cup with both Cape Verde and Sierra Leone and said he is optimistic Sierra Leone will beat their rivals.
He said: "I have played for both Cape Verde and Sierra Leone and I have won the Sydney-Africa Cup of Nations with both teams but it's not going to be an easy match; he stressed. Kamara added: "It's a community derby despite we are all Sierra Leoneans but both teams will thrive to prove who's the best Sierra Leonean team in Sydney, so it's going to be a physical game but we are ready for it, so bring it on". "Honestly for us it is going to be a do or die match because we want Cape Verde boys to give us the respect we deserve, so to prove that we are the head in Sydney we just have to win Sunday's crucial encounter. "My boys are mentally ready and for me It's just another game because I take each game step by step. Trust me we will surely be on top of our arch rivals though it won't be an easy match". He however called on the Sierra Leone community in Sydney to turn out in their thousands to support their respective teams.

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