Nigeria ended 2022 on a poor note but Friday’s (today) 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau offers Jose Peseiro’s team a good chance to get themselves back on track, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Super Eagles lost their last three games to Algeria, Costa Rica and Portugal and will now seek to return to winning ways against the Djurtus, who suffered a 2-0 defeat in their last encounter against the three-time Africa champions at the 2022 AFCON in Garoua, Cameroon.
Second-half goals from Umar Sadiq and William Troost-Ekong secured Nigeria their first-ever win over Guinea-Bissau.
Currently unbeaten at home since 2021, the Eagles will be looking to put on a dominant display in front of what is set to be an expectant home crowd at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja against a Djurtus side that has won just one of their last nine matches away from home across all competitions.
Last June, the Djurtus were denied the opportunity to maintain their perfect AFCON qualifying record following a 2-2 stalemate against Sierra Leone at the General Lansana Conte Stadium.
After storming to a two-goal lead courtesy of Jorginho’s brace, Baciro Cande’s looked to be on course for a huge win before late goals from Augustus Kargbo and Musa Kamara forced a share of the spoils.
With four points from their opening two matches, Djurtus sit second in Group A, two points adrift of the Eagles.
Speaking ahead of the game, Victor Osimhen who will lead the Eagles attack alongside Terem Moffi stated that the Djurtus ranked 118th won’t be underrated.
“We are looking forward to it,” Osimhen told the NFF Media Team.
“And I am happy to be back with the squad. It’s an amazing feeling and we are really expecting an amazing result in the two-legged game against Guinea-Bissau.
“We don’t underrate our opponents. We want to equally give them the respect they deserve. The boys are ready. We have high spirits. We are ready to give our all come Friday. Also, in the second leg in Guinea-Bissau. I am looking forward to the game and to contribute also to the team.”
Osimhen, who has now netted 15 times for his country, currently sits ninth in the all-time scoring charts while also boasting the best goal-to-game ratio of anybody in the top 10.
Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman also expressed confidence that the Eagles will emerge victors over the two legs against Guinea-Bissau.
“I’m Looking forward to another big game for us in the qualification for the AFCON,” Lookman told NFF TV.
“This is an opportunity for us to get close to qualification. It’s always nice to score goals, which I’ve been doing. So I would like to take that into the team and keep working hard.
“But the most important thing is for the team to win and for us to qualify for the AFCON,” the Atalanta star added.
The Eagles need only six points from their remaining four games to seal their ticket to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
This comes after Sierra Leone drew 2-2 at home to Sao Tome and Principe, the same team the Super Eagles thrashed 10-0 at the Stade Adrar in Agadir in June last year.
The result ensures that Sierra Leone have two points after three games while Sao Tome and Principe have just one point.
