Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has urged his players to kick off Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on a strong note. He stressed that they need to gather points early to avoid another tough qualification race.
Chelle wants Nigeria to lead from their opening Group L match against Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Friday. After that, they will head to Guinea-Bissau for their second match four days later.
The coach wants to steer clear of the uncertainty that plagued Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, where a late push did not secure a spot in the tournament.
“We have to show everyone from Day One that we want it, and the only way to do that is to go for it with our hearts and refuse to slow down at any point. We must go for the points without any hesitation,” Chelle said as he looked ahead to the first two matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
Nigeria will meet Guinea-Bissau in Bissau on Tuesday, 29 September, in their second match of the campaign.
The Super Eagles will miss Victor Osimhen, who had to pull out of the squad due to a muscle injury. Taiwo Awoniyi has been called up as his replacement.
The squad also sees the return of defender Ola Aina, while Benjamin Fredricks adds another option in defense.
Chelle has a number of choices to make in nearly every position.
In defense, Nigeria has Aina, Fredricks, Bruno Onyemaechi, Calvin Bassey, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Chibuike Nwaiwu available.
The coach also has attacking players like Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, Akor Adams, Samuel Chukwueze, Tolu Arokodare, Moses Usor, and new invitee George Ilenikhena.
Friday’s match will bring back memories of past encounters between the two teams. This includes Madagascar’s surprising win against Nigeria at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria had beaten the Barea 2-0 in Calabar on 5 September 2010 during an AFCON qualifying match, and followed it up with another 2-0 victory in Antananarivo a year later.
However, Madagascar pulled off a major upset at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, defeating Nigeria 2-0 in their final group match in Alexandria on 30 June.
By that time, Nigeria had already qualified for the Round of 16.
Now, the Barea will return to Uyo for another competitive clash with the Super Eagles, having arrived in Nigeria three days before Friday’s match.
For Chelle’s team, the main goal is to start the qualifying campaign with three points before focusing on Guinea-Bissau.
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