Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri has explained why his side should not underestimate Namibia when the two sides face off in in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations opener at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on Tuesday.

Ahead of the Group E match, Kadri said playing against the Brave Warriors in the opening match was in no way an advantage as the tournament has already shown that there are no small teams in Africa.

Kadri gave an example of Mozambique, who almost caused an an upset in their 2-2 draw against favourites Egypt.

“Namibia is a serious opponent, and we don’t have any easy team. The results in the opening rounds have shown that there is no small team in Africa as we saw, so we need to show them respect and play to our best ability. The opening matches have shown that,” cautioned Kadri as quoted by CAFOnline.

On what he wants to achieve in Ivory Coast, Kadri said: “We will try to go as far as possible. We have teams that are good quality so we will try to win each match and go as far as possible. We must be respectful to all opponents.

“There are Africa’s best teams that are present so ours is to do our best in every match and take it game by game.”

The Carthage Eagles are making their 21st appearance in the competition, with this edition being the 16th in a row – a record in the history of the tournament thus far.