Reigning African vice-champions Nigeria know they will
qualify for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations final tournament if
they overcome the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
qualification campaign Matchday 5 encounter in Abidjan on Thursday. This
knowledge will inform a feisty approach from the first blast of Senegalese
referee Issa Sy’s whistle.
After three wins out of their earlier four games (the
only draw being the Matchday 2 session with Rwanda in Kigali), the Super Eagles
are riding high with 10 points, four more than second-placed Benin Republic,
who suffered a glitch in Kigali in the last round of games. A win virtually
guarantees Nigeria’s leadership of the group going into the final-day tussles.
On the other hand, the Cheetahs, with six points, know
they cannot afford any more slip-ups following the tumble in Kigali, as they
could still be tossed if they lose their last two games and Rwanda, on five,
earn a minimum of two points in their own final two. Even Libya, with only one
point, can still leap over Benin Republic if they beat Rwanda in Kigali, the
Cheetahs are bumped by the Eagles, and the Knights rout the Cheetahs in North
Africa on Monday.
The foregoing dynamics will make for a vicious 90
minutes at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the heart of the Ivorian capital
on Thursday evening.
With England-based centre-back Semi Ajayi absent as a
result of injury, Coach Augustine Eguavoen is most likely to start with the
rearguard that squared up to the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo last
month, meaning Captain William Ekong and Calvin Bassey at centre back, with
wing-backs Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi.
Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru,
Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi and the couple of defensive midfielders Frank Onyeka
and Raphael Onyedika are available for the spaces in the middle, while Victor
Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq
Umar and Kelechi Iheanacho are in the selection pool for the fore.
Victory will render Monday’s concluding qualifier
against Rwanda, at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, an academic session,
with only the visitors keen to try and get something out of the clash while the
Eagles play for sheer pride.
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