The Gambia’s national team Head Coach, Sang Ndong has released the names of his squad players last Friday ahead of his team’s doubled-legged AFCON 2016 qualifiers against Mauritania, which kicks-off with the first leg this coming Friday 25th March in Nouakchott, and the return leg in Banjul four days later on Tuesday 29th March.

The squad includes six local based players from The Gambia’s First Division league and four from the Senegalese league. The rest are based in Europe and the middle East. The return of the England based duo, the in form Modou Barrow of Swansea City Football Club and Mustapha Carayol of Leeds United will give the team a real boost, after both missing the last match against Cameroon for various reasons.

The six selected local players: Goalkeeper Christopher Allen, Gregory Sambou both from GPA, Alhagi Bah from Real De Banjul, Mass Manga and Lamin Chartty from Hawks and Striker Emil Sambou from GAF have on Saturday left Banjul for Dakar, Senegal, alongside with the coaching staff, and they were joined by the four players currently playing in the Senegalese league: Alieu Jatta, Alagie Jobe, Modou Conteh and Kabba Sambou.

The ten players coming from Europe and the Middle East were expected to arrive on Monday, and earlier on Monday morning Modou Barrow posted a picture on his Facebook page, of himself alongside Carayol and Ibou Touray at the departure Lounge in Gatwick Airport with the caption “Getting ready for international game #team #Gambia”. The rest of the players, including the Sweden based trio; Demba Savage, Omar Jagne Pa Amat Dibba and Kebba Ceesay of Lech Poznan, Poland were all expected to arrive in Senegal on the same day. With Hamza Barry also expected from Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Tel Aviv,

The Gambia currently sits third in Group M with a solitary point from two games, five adrift of leaders Cameroon and two behind Friday’s opponent, Mauritania. If the Scorpions can get the maximum points against the Mourabitones, that will set them well for at least a second place finish, considering the fact that the two group favourites, Cameroon and South Africa, will also play each other over two legs and currently South Africa are at the bottom of the group level on point with The Gambia but they had conceded more.