The Super Eagles of Nigeria know they will qualify for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations final tournament if they overcome the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign Matchday 5 encounter in Abidjan on Thursday. This knowledge will inform a feisty approach from the first blast of Senegalese referee Issa Sy’s whistle.
After three wins out of their earlier four games (the only draw being the Matchday 2 session with Rwanda in Kigali), the Super Eagles are riding high with 10 points, four more than second-placed Benin Republic, who suffered a glitch in Kigali in the last round of games. A win virtually guarantees Nigeria’s leadership of the group going into the final-day tussles.
On the other hand, the Cheetahs, with six points, know they cannot afford any more slip-ups following the tumble in Kigali, as they could still be tossed if they lose their last two games and Rwanda, on five, earn a minimum of two points in their own final two. Even Libya, with only one point, can still leap over Benin Republic if they beat Rwanda in Kigali, the Cheetahs are bumped by the Eagles, and the Knights rout the Cheetahs in North Africa on Monday.
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The foregoing dynamics will make for a vicious 90 minutes at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the heart of the Ivorian capital on Thursday evening.
With England-based centre-back Semi Ajayi absent as a result of injury, Coach Augustine Eguavoen is most likely to start with the rearguard that squared up to the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo last month, meaning Captain William Ekong and Calvin Bassey at centre back, with wing-backs Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi.
Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi and the couple of defensive midfielders Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika are available for the spaces in the middle, while Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and Kelechi Iheanacho are in the selection pool for the fore.
Victory will render Monday’s concluding qualifier against Rwanda, at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, an academic session, with only the visitors keen to try and get something out of the clash while the Eagles play for sheer pride.
6 Comments
Come on boys. Give it to Benin tomorrow. Dem go collect.
I think so, but meeting Benin gives me a heart skip—Rohr, the master schemer on a vengeance mission.
Kai, here is another Oga Rohr who believes Oga Rohr was the best coach that has ever coached our darling Super Eagles but suddenly kę, he’s turning his back to our former world-class coach Oga Rohr.
Aye le oooooo @Pompei lol.
Where is Drey kę? How to market our Dr. Ahahaha. He is very panicky at the moment.
Our own is showing the right way ba?
You people we hear yęn tomorrow by God’s
grace. Siasia will finish the job no worries. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
No one loves our former Oga better than our Nation, Nigeria. Equally, no one likes the way and manner he was shot down at a time of his pick couching Nigeria when he was sack in such a inhuman fashion as well. You must be aware of the distasteful consequences of that bad and wicked actions.
Now, our former Oga moved on after he got fully what was due to him and Nigeria moved on too, but worse off.
If omo9ja, together with his cohorts, continue to dwell on such a nasty past, that is your prerogatives though. In my own personal opinion, Nigeria suffered more pain than our former Oga did in that episode. After all. omo9ja had to watch, even poor Ghana, played in that FIFA World Cup.
The three points are there for you Eagles. I only pity Oga Rohr and his followers. We have to beat them inside out for me to be satisfied kę lol. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
We all know that if Rohr has caliber of players Eguavorn has, Eguavoen has nothing on him, tactics or not. Rohr is a destroyer, he destroys your plan and work out his, yeah that’s how he makes those dangerous moves. He had beaten SE this year, we all saw it. The worst Tunisia beat us in AFCON, the worst Ghana qualified for world cup ahead of us bcos the man was sacked.
Sacking Rohr at that time was a biggest wrong move. He has moved on and I think his haters too should learn how to move on, bcos if he’s so bad like you always said, why still talking about him.