The soccer rivalry between Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire will be re-enacted today when the homebased Eagles host Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna in the first leg qualifiers for next year's African Nations Championship (CHAN) holding in South Africa. Nigeria has never qualified for the competition which is in its third edition.
The home-based Eagles lost out to Ghana in the race to the inaugural edition in Cote d'Ivoire in 2009 and then faltered against Niger Republic in the qualifying series for the second edition in Sudan in 2011. Tunisia is the defending champion of the competition.
To ensure a successful outing at today's encounter the team's gaffer, Stephen Keshi, has invited eight home-based players who featured at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, namely; Chigozie Agbim, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Solomon Kwambe, Benjamin Francis, Emeka Eze, Sunday Mba and Muhammad Gambo to be part of the team that will play against Cote d'Ivoire.
The match was initially fixed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the third week of June with the return leg in Abidjan in the first week of July, but was rescheduled due to Nigeria's participation at FIFA 2013 Confederations Cup.
Today's match is expected to be explosive, not only because of the soccer rivalry that has existed between the two countries over the years, but because the Super Eagles are still basking in the euphoria of beating the Elephants 2-1 in the quarter finals of 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) en-route to their lifting the trophy for the third time in South Africa. However, the visitors will be aiming for a win to make the second leg in Abidjan in two weeks time a mere formality.
Thus they will be coming for a revenge because this is the first competitive game involving the two sides since the end of the Nations Cup in February. Already, Keshi has assured soccer-loving Nigerians that the experience acquired by his players in the FIFA Confederations Cup would come handy in today's encounter.
"Confederations Cup has taught me some few things and I am sure most of the players too have learnt some things that will be very useful in our subsequent matches beginning with the CHAN qualifying game in Kaduna. I also believe that my players have learnt a great deal in the competition in Brazil," he said.
Also speaking on the match, Head Coach of Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire, Saraka Norbert, said that they are in Nigeria to win. "We are in Nigeria to ensure we put up a good performance so as to have an easy game in the second leg in Abidjan. "My players are technically and tactically prepared for the challenge and that is why we have selected a good side because we are aware of the pedigree of Nigerian players," he said.
Meanwhile ex-international, Henry Nwosu has charged the Super Eagles to ensure they qualify for the third edition of CHAN which incidentally will hold in South Africa early next year. According to him, the Coach Stephen Keshi-led side must realise that their opponents are very good and as such must raise their game and score many goals in today's encounter.
He noted that the strikers must avoid missing scoring chances which characterized the team's play at the just concluded FIFA Confederations Cup which contributed to their early ouster from the tournament, even as he cautioned that there is the need for the team to play with the same commitment at the last Nations Cup which saw them defeating star-studded Ivoirian team.
"The home-based Eagles must not be carried away by the fact that the Super Eagles defeated the Ivoirians at the 2013 AFCON because this is a different game entirely. "There is the need for the team to score many goals, as well as avoid conceding any goal so as to make the second leg in Abidjan in two weeks time a mere formality.
"I also expect the strikers to learn from their mistakes at the FIFA Confederations Cup and avoid missing glaring scoring chances which characterized their participation at the competition because Nigerians would be waiting for them to qualify this time around and add the trophy to the Nations Cup won earlier this year," the former Golden Eaglets coach said.
National Mirror
Qualification is very much important in times like this. We have to do everything possible to achieve that. They need to be more inspired...