The Gambia Scorpions are set to take on fellow west African nation Mauritania in an international football friendly, Observer Sports can reveal.

The match, which will mark the start of Scorpions preparation for South Africa 2008 World Cup qualifier campaign, is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, in Banjul.

Seedy Kinteh, president of The Gambia Football Association, confirmed the proposed friendly and revealed that Mauritania are planning to come with almost twelve professionals for the game.  He said The Gambia Football Association will extend invitations to over twenty Gambian professional players for the March 26 friendly.

Kinteh expressed football association's resolve to stage at least two more international friendly for the Scorpions ahead of their first World Cup qualifier campaign against Liberia on May 31, 2008.

"We are proposing two more international friendly matches after the Mauritania tie. We are planning to have a friendly with Angola and then Zimbabwe before Gambia's away qualifier match against Liberia," he said.

The Gambia have been paired in Group Six with their french-speaking neighbours Senegal, Liberia and Algeria for South Africa 2010 qualifier.

The Scorpions first match will see them travel to Liberia between May 30 and June 1, 2007.

Just one week after, the Scorpions will travel to Dakar to face bitter rivals the Terenga Lions.