Home based Super Eagles will tomorrow be guest of Etalons of Burkina Faso in the final round second leg qualifier of the Africa Nations Cup for home based players in the continent slated for Rwanda next year.
When both teams met last Saturday in Port Harcourt, Nigeria defeated their opponents by 2-0 to brighten their chances of picking one of the tickets for the championship.
Bature Yaro got the opener for Nigeria when he rifled the ball into the net in the 25th minute to give the Super Eagles B team the lead after they had held much of the possession but with very little to show for it while Gbolahan Salami got Nigeria’s second goal in the 77th minute through a penalty kick.
Nigeria is targeting its second straight qualification for the CHAN tournament having finally broken the jinx in 2014 where she made it to South Africa for the first time in the history of the championship.
The reverse fixture which was originally fixed for today was few days ago moved to Sunday by the Federation Burkinabe de Foot- Ball, Burkina Faso’s football governing body, a decision which was approved by the continental Football body, CAF and will be played at the August 4, stadium, Ouagadougou.
Home based Eagles will be going into today’s game with a lot of expectations from Nigerians who want to see the team replicate their first leg performance last week in Port Harcourt in tomorrow’s cracker.
Although, the team made up of players that ply their trade in the continent’s local league will be going into Sunday’s game with a two goal advantage, but they should also be mindful of the fact that their fellow West Africa country have of recent emerged as one of the country’s soccer power houses and as such underrating them could be dangerous.
Nigeria will be going into tomorrow’s game without the services of national team handler, Sunday Oliseh who was last Thursday flown to Belgium for medical checkup but it is expected that his assistants who will stand in for him are capable of mapping out strategies that will prevent the ambitions Burkinabe’s from overturning the table against them in the all important qualifier.
While it is true that the team will be missing the absence of Coach Sunday Oliseh but his assistants has assured Nigerians that they are capable of winning the match and qualify Nigeria for the tournament in Rwanda.
“We are quite aware of what is at stake in tomorrow’s encounter but we are capable of holding our own against the Etalons.
“It is true that the entire team will feel the absence of Chief Coach, Sunday Oliseh but his assistants has what it takes to stand in for him in his absence and get good result which Nigerians will be proud of”, said assistant team coach,
Also speaking on the team’s readiness for the encounter, Super Eagles’ Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, said: “To us nothing is won yet; there is still 90 minutes to navigate. It is going to be tough navigating the second 90 minutes in Ouagadougou. So, the boys are aware of this and the coaches are doing everything possible to prepare for the second leg the way we prepared for the first leg. Even harder than we prepared for the first leg so that we can a get a better result.”
Meanwhile, NFF President Amaju Pinnick has charged the Eagles Team B to do Nigerians proud by not only going to Ouagadougou to earn the ticket to Rwanda 2016, but by also defeating their opponents.
“I believe you can do it because, with a bit more luck, you could have won the first leg by a much bigger margin. There is no longer anything called home advantage in international football. The turf is where the business is done, and the better team will always triumph. I know you are the better team.
“I want you to forget everything about a 2-0 advantage from the first leg. Sunday is another day and you should aim for 90 minutes of excellence.”
The overall winner of the two legged encounter will be eligible for a place at the 4th African Nations Championship ‘Rwanda 2016’, which features only players of domestic African Leagues.