Guinea captain Ibrahim Traore admitted that Naby Keita’s absence is a big loss for the team ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Round of 16 clash against Algeria on Sunday.
Keita returned to England last Sunday, after the Syli Nationale’s 2-0 victory over Burundi in their final group outing.
Even though Keita might not be fit to feature against The Desert Foxes, Traore revealed the Champions League winner is still an important part of the dressing room.
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“Naby is our star player. He won the Champions League, so when you have one of the best players on the continent, who plays in a big club but who is not able to help us, it’s a big loss, it’s not easy,” Traore said in his pre-match conference, per Reuters.