Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle is anticipating a difficult duel against the Warriors of Zimbabwe, Completesports.com reports.
Nigeria will take on Kaitano Tembo’s side in the semi-final of the 2026 Unity Cup at the Valley on Tuesday night.
The two countries faced off in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with both encounters ending in draws.
Chelle Ready For Zimbabwe Test
Chelle, however, believes the previous result did not fully reflect Nigeria’s dominance on the day, even as he acknowledged the threat Zimbabwe still pose.
“Zimbabwe is a great team, a great team with strong players. If you want to talk about our last game, you need to talk not only about the result. Because if you see the result, you will not believe. But if you watch the game, we were supposed to win the game by at least 98 percent,” Chelle told a press conference in London on Monday.
“Definitely, Zimbabwe is a great team. They come with a lot of motivation. They want to win.”
Read Also:Chelle Leads Super Eagles To London For Unity Cup
Opportunity For New Players
Chelle handed invitations to 14 new players for the invitational tournament, including eight home-based stars.
The Malian tactician said the competition will provide the players with an opportunity to stake a claim for a regular place in the Super Eagles squad.
“Like I said, we have a vision for this national team,” added Chelle.
“Some of the new players are ready and motivated. The players of the NPFL, the players of the European leagues, the have the chance to enter the Super Eagles (main) team.
“When you play a game like this, the first thing is the attitude, the state of mind. They have to show us first their state of mind. The most important thing is for them to know that when you play football, you can make some mistakes.
“This is not the question about the mistakes. This is the question of what you can do after the mistakes. It’s a question about the state of mind. The only pressure that they can have is to fight for every ball. It is to run, run and run.”
By Adeboye Amosu
