The interim Super Eagles coach, Augustine Eguavoen, is optimistic that his team has all it takes to beat Benin Republic and Rwanda in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month.
Augustine Eguavoen, who assumed the reins of the Super Eagles after German coach Bruno Labbadia declined Nigeria’s offer, emphasized the historic strength of Nigerian football and expressed his belief in the team’s ability to perform well in both games.
Eguavoen stressed the need for the team to reflect on their near victory in the 2023 African Cup of Nations, emphasizing that with the right support and strategic guidance from the technical crew and the federation, the players could make the nation proud.
“Nigeria is a nation that, in terms of football, a lot of countries respect, and there is no difference in this one,” Eguavoen said.
“I am very confident that we will scale through these two games and beyond. We have the players, personnel, and support; the only thing we need to remind the players of is that they were almost African champions a few months ago, so what went wrong? They are still the same players; we will do everything we need to do as a technical crew and, of course, as a federation, but they are the ones to rally around.
“I have spoken to them, and we are still going to have a series of meetings, but I am very confident that they will make the nation proud. We will treat Benin with uttermost respect because this is football, where anything can happen, but this is our home.”
Out of the 23 players Augustine Eguavoen invited for the AFCON qualifiers, 20 are already in camp in Uyo as of the time of writing and the remaining players are expected to join the team between today and Thursday.
Note that the Super Eagles are scheduled to clash with the Benin Republic at 5 p.m. on September 7 before taking on Rwanda in Kigali at 2 p.m. three days later.
The Eagles players commenced their training in Uyo on Monday, and some of the notable players in camp then were Captain William Troost-Ekong, Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, and England-based quartet Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Wilfred Ndidi.
South Africa-based players Olisa Ndah and Stanley Nwabali, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, Lazio’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and former Bendel Insurance goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, have also been in camp since Monday.
On Tuesday, the squad was further bolstered with the addition of Fulham duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi, alongside Moses Simon, Samuel Chukweuze, Raphael Onyedika, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi, Bruno Onyemaechi, Frank Onyeka, and Benjamin Tanimu, who replaced the injured Bright Osayi-Samuel.
In addition, the Nigeria Football Federation disclosed that new Sevilla signing Kelechi Iheanacho was expected to join the camp today, while Maduka Okoye and Victor Osimhen were anticipated to arrive on Thursday.
