Super Eagles, Chipolopolo In Crucial Encounter

It is the second group match day
today for Super Eagles of Nigeria as they get set to clash with the defending
champions, Chippolopolo of Zambia at the ongoing 2013 African Cup of Nations in
South Africa.

The encounter is crucial to both teams after they failed
to secure maximum points in their respective opening matches, courtesy of 1-1
draw results.

But today, the Eagles and Zambians will be hard pressed
for victory.

For Coach Stephen Keshi and his wards, it is time to
live up to pre-championship hype and rating.

Despite finding it difficult to subdue the stallions of
Burkina Faso in their Group C opening match on Monday, Keshi and some of his
players have declared their determination to crush Zambia today.

However, the encounter will neither be easy for the
Super Eagles nor the Chipolopolo.

It is a must win duel for either team and it is expected
to have all the trappings of a titanic battle.

The Super Eagles’ camp is buoyed by the expected fitness
and availability of Chelsea winger, Victor Moses, who missed the encounter
against the Burkinabes.  Moses will
expectedly be deployed to the flanks where his combination with Ahmed Musa
would feed Brown Ideye and Emmanuel Emenike to explore chances against the
Zambians.

The Nigerian players who were guilty of wastefulness and
selfishness in the first match must avoid such tendencies today if they must
make hay.

Moreso, Captain Joseph Yobo and his co-defenders must be
winy of the nimble footed Zambians who have proved that they have the knock to
raise their game whenever the stakes are high.

Today’s match will certainly shape the group’s
leadership picture and chances of progression.

Zambia is desperate to lay a marker by stopping Nigeria
today, but the quality in the Super Eagles is expected to shine through at the
end of the 90 minutes.

Indeed, Mikel Obi and Nosa Igiebor showed their class
against Burkina Faso, that calm and calculated display is what is expected from
all the departments of the Super Eagles, especially, in front of goal, if the
Eagles, and indeed, Nigerians are to celebrate their first victory of the 2013
cup of nations today.

The second match of the day is the group C’s other game
between Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.  All
teams are currently level on one point and would begin to define their chances
after the matches.