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By Abiodun Adewale
With four points already and second in Group A behind Equatorial Guinea on goal difference, Nigeria are out to finish their group campaign on a high as group leaders at the 2023 AFCON on Monday (today), but they have been advised by ex-internationals and fans to thread carefully against their opponents, Guinea-Bissau, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Super Eagles play the bottom-placed side at the Stade Félix Houphoüet-Boigny, Abidjan needing a win to go top of the table, given that Equatorial Guinea are unable to beat Ivory Coast in the other last game of the group.
After a 1-1 draw in their first game against Equatorial Guinea, Jose Peseiro’s men got their campaign back on track with a spirited 1-0 win over hosts Ivory Coast, while their opponents today, Guinea-Bissau, lost both of their games and are eliminated from the tournament.
“We want to take the first place and for that, we must do battle. We must do what is necessary to accomplish our mission,” Peseiro said at the pre-match conference at the Palais de la Culture in the Treichville area of Abidjan on Sunday.
Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau find themselves in the same group at the AFCON, having met during the qualifiers, when both sides won 1-0 against each other. The Wild Dogs stunned Nigeria in Abuja March last year, although Nigeria also won the second leg courtesy of a Moses Simon penalty kick as both teams eventually made it out of the group to the tournament.
Ahead of the game today, ex-international, Tijanii Babangida, said, “Any of the three teams among Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast can qualify. So, the win is important but they must know there are no pushovers. It’s a competitive game and I expect them to grow in every game, regardless of the fact that they have won against us before.”
“I know we are going to play with caution, and again, if we could beat Ivory Coast, the morale is high but I know they will play with caution because we have a lot of experienced players in the team. So, it will be very good for them to top the group,” 2013 AFCON winner, Azubuike Egwwuekwe, also noted.
Given theEagles inconsistent run under Peseiro, the fans are also wary of the Wild Dogs.
“Let’s not underestimate a wounded team, besides, we don’t have to be in a hurry to win. Let’s calm down, hold the ball and the opportunities will come,” a fan, Adetuwo Suji, said.
Another enthusiastic fan, Nasah Michaels, added, “Please let our players charge the game in the first half and score all their goals in the first half and then focus on defending and if possible, score more goals in the second half but they should focus on defending. I believe we will win again this time. As so many people including me are counting on Nigeria winning the AFCON.”
“Give enough respect to Guinea-Bissau and be at your best to replicate the recent win,” Salisu Ibrahim also said.
If Nigeria finish top of the group, they are poised to face any best losing side from Group C, which could be Cameroon or even Algeria from Group D as well as Namibia, Tunisia or even South Africa from Group E in the round of 16.
A second-place finish will pair the Eagles against the second-place team from Group C, which is likely going to be Guinea, which beat Peseiro’s men 2-0 in a pre-tournament friendly in Abu Dhabi last week.
The most unlikely outcome is qualifying as one of the best losers, and that will be a date with the winners of Group B, Cape Verde.