Percy Onyeka
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has said the team’s approach against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Saturday is to defend as a unit while being clinical in front of opposition goal.
The gaffer said this on Friday in Abidjan at a pre-match press conference ahead of the epic clash.
“I don’t want to concede goals tomorrow (Saturday), I want to score at least one. If we do this, we will beat Cameroon,” Peseiro said.
The coach switched to a more defensive 3-4-3 formation in the group stage resulting in scrappy wins against Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau and a draw against eventual group A leaders Equatorial Guinea.
The coach said the most important thing at this stage was to win and advance to the quarter-finals stage.
He expressed optimism that the team’s goal poacher and Napoli hitman, Victor Osimhen, would start firing again from the knockout stage.
“For our next match (Cameroon), Osimhen will score; he’s important for the team. He’s the top scorer, but this is a different tournament and tough competition.
“He deserves to reach the top position because against Equatorial Guinea, he created so many chances and he scored.
“Did Equatorial Guinea beat us? No, we shared the points, and I know we will beat them next time because it’s not easy in this competition,” he said.
The Portuguese tactician also dispelled rumours of a rift with Leicester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, who has not featured in the tournament, owing to an earlier injury.
He hinted at the forward seeing some action in the crucial clash with Cameroon.
“There are a lot of negative stories out there. If there was something between us, Kelechi will not be here. I will not invite him.
“He was injured before the competition and was not with us in Abu Dhabi. He arrived before our first game and started work the following day.
“We have to work with our doctors on his recovery process. We believe in Kelechi, he is going to play and score for us in this competition,” Peseiro said.
Nigeria and Cameroon will clash in a blockbuster Round of 16 tie slated for the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles will wrap up their preparations for the game with a training session at the Ecole Nationale de Police training pitch on Friday evening.
The last time both teams clashed at the 2019 AFCON, the Super Eagles came from behind to eliminate the Lions 3-2, in a thrilling encounter.
Agency Report
