Taifas Stars of Tanzania head coach Manuel Gomandi has said his players are more than ready to take on Nigeria’s Super Eagles in their AFCON 2025 Group C opener on Tuesday.
Tanzania will take on the Super Eagles for the first at the AFCON since 1980 in Nigeria.
The Taifas Stars lost 3-1 in the encounter 45 years ago with the late Christian Chukwu-led Nigerian team going on to become African champions for the first time.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: To Play In Super Eagles Midfield This AFCON Will Be A Challenge –Akinsanmiro
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday, Gomandi said the game against the Super Eagles will be a nice challenge for his side.
“We are very well prepared, we are excited to be patt of this AFCON and we are more than ready for tomorrow’s game. We have a very difficult game but it’s a nice challenge for us,” the Argentine said.
On how he plans to contain a star-studded Nigerian attack led by Victor Osimhen, he believes his players will go the extra mile to get a positive result.
“We need to be very careful, work in perfect situation and I’m sure my players will put in extra effort to contain the threat from Nigeria.”
He added: “We need to be realistic, when you see the qualities in the Nigeria team you need to put in more than 100 percent effort to try to neutralize them.
“But our mentality is to try to play and attack as well, we need to be tactically discipline and there should not be any room for mistakes because if you don’t avoid such mistakes the qualities in the Nigerian team can punish you.”
By James Agberebi in Fes, Morocco
