Eric Chelle, the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, has told Nigerians that his players are focused on getting the three points against Madagascar in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Uyo.
Chelle spoke at a pre-match press conference in Uyo on Thursday.
He said the team has moved on from the last World Cup qualifier and is ready for the match against Madagascar on Friday.
“It is our job to manage pressure, as the qualifiers start tomorrow. We have to be ready for the group match.
“For us and the country, there is a big game tomorrow. We had our last training session today and we have prepared well for this game,” Chelle said.
The coach mentioned that the team is highly motivated to win the match and show other teams in the group and around the world that the Super Eagles are ready.
“The first idea is to give a signal to everybody that Nigeria is a good team, and my players are in good state of mind and understand what’s at stake.
“This isn’t time to have doubts because we are in Uyo to win. My players on the field will be very aggressive and put a lot of intensity,” he said.
Chelle said the players are ambitious and determined at every moment, during training and games, to ensure victory.
On the injured players, the coach noted that Femi Azeez, Victor Osimhen, Dele Bashiru and others would have been invited. But he assured that the available players would deliver.
Chelle admitted that the game could be tough because Madagascar, a good team, defeated Nigeria at the 2019 AFCON. Still, he said the Super Eagles would fight until the end.
Wilfred Ndidi, the team captain, also spoke. He said the experience from the last World Cup qualifiers was not good.
He acknowledged that the team started the World Cup qualifiers poorly, which affected their performance. But he assured that it would not happen again.
“We are going to approach this game with all seriousness because the first game in every competition is very important.
“We’re focused to set the momentum in these qualifiers to build our confidence ahead of subsequent games,” Ndidi said.
He said the team is ready and focused and will do its best to secure maximum points on Friday.
“I don’t know about other teams in the group, but for us, as the coach said, pressure is part of our game, so we try to play through the pressure.
“The most important thing is that as a team, we are ready to make Nigerians proud against Madagascar. We don’t care who qualified in other groups,” Ndidi said.
Corentin Martins, Head Coach of Madagascar, spoke through an interpreter. He said his team is in Uyo to win the match.
He noted that Madagascar defeated Nigeria in 2019, but said the team in Uyo is different.
“We know Nigeria has a good team and they have great players playing in different parts of the world, but we will give our best.
“Our main objective is to qualify for the 2027 AFCON,” Martins said.
He added that they were happy that Osimhen would not be playing but acknowledged that Nigeria has other great players who can cause trouble.
Martins said his team arrived early in Nigeria to adjust to the environment and prepare well for Friday’s match.
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