The Super Eagles have a tough test ahead of them in the knockout phase of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
The Nigerians, who are aiming for a fourth AFCON title in Cote d’Ivoire, are billed to face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the Round of 16.
Both Nigeria and Cameroon finished as the runners-up in their groups with the Lions needing a thrilling 3-2 win over Gambia yesterday to leapfrog Guinea into second position.
The thrilling encounter between Nigeria and Cameroon will come up on Saturday at the FHB Stadium in Abidjan.
It was Cameroon that denied Nigeria the AFCON trophy the last time Cote D’Ivoire hosted the Africa Cup of Nations 30 years ago.
Many wait to see if the Super Eagles will get an act of revenge against their fierce rivals or if the Lions will confirm their superiority over Nigeria
Already, Super Eagles midfielder, Moses Simon who was named Man of the Match in the hard-fought 1-0 win against Guinea-Bissau has declared their readiness to embrace any challenge on their path to glory.
“We’re not losing sleep over who we’ll face next,” Simon confidently told reporters in Abidjan after the match. “We have no preference; we have to be ready for all opposition if we want to win the title. Any team we draw, we’re ready for them and everyone else.”
Meanwhile, Super Eagles winger, Samuel Chukwueze has urged his teammates to keep fighting and focus on their next 2203 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Round of 16 clash this weekend.
The AC Milan star spoke following Nigeria’s AFCON 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on Monday night.
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after Jose Peseiro’s men won Guinea-Bissau, Chukwueze said: “I’m so happy that we won today but it wasn’t easy.
“We wanted to take the first position in the table but it didn’t happen. We have to keep fighting and now it’s the knockout stage we have to keep focusing.
“At the moment we just focus on the knockout stage.”
Super Eagles of Nigeria’s Coach, Jose Peseiro, has said that his team was keeping the goals for the next round of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Portuguese said this on Monday in Abidjan during his post-match news conference after a scrappy 1-0 win over Guinea Bissau in the last group A match.
The Super Eagles coach said he was happy with the 1-0 win while congratulating Equatorial Guinea for topping the table.
He said his team wasted many scoring chances but claimed that they were keeping the goals for the next stage of the competition. Peseiro explained that he was not afraid, or even cared, about Nigeria’s next opponent in the round of 16 as he was focused on every game.
“Today, we played very good football but we missed scoring chances which is not good for us.
“Our striker, Victor Osimhen, was not at his best but I’m happy we are through to the next stage.