When asked about his team’s profligacy in the opener against Equatorial Guinea, the Super Eagles manager, Jose Peseiro, went prophetic claiming that God will give them victory at the right time.
“From the last game, we deserve much more and we will create more opportunities. Like I said before, sometimes God takes, sometimes God gives, if it’s the right time, God will give us,” the Portuguese told journalists in Wednesday’s presser.
Though the Eagles deserved at least a marginal victory against the Nzalanga Nacional, leaving things to whims and caprices of luck against the host, Ivory Coast in Thursday’s fixture could be dangerous.
While both teams have shared three wins in nine AFCON meetings, it is the Elephants that however head into Thursday’s clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, smarting.
Tournament opening 2-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau means Jean-Louis Gasset’s men could become the first team to qualify for the knockout stage with another win against an injury-ravaged Nigerian team.
A draw however could potentially throw the group open depending on results elsewhere in the earlier fixture between Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
Yusuff missing, Sadiq Umar saga
Alhassan Yusuff only had 69 minutes to convince fans why he was a great replacement for injured Wilfred Ndidi.
The diminutive midfielder, according to Sofascore and Fotmob won seven duels – the most by any player on the field in the game, and was perhaps one of the few green patches as the Eagles posed an underwhelming performance against the Equatorial Guineans.
However, hopes of having the 23-year-old fit for today’s fixture have fizzled out with Peseiro confirming that the Royal Antwerp man would be unavailable.
His absence means the Peseiro will have to tweak his starting XI despite the Portuguese being adamant about sticking to his previous game plan.
In Alhassan’s absence, Southampton’s Joe Aribo should come into the fray for the Super Eagles, forming the midfield trio with the Premier League duo of Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi.
The Super Eagles’ preparations for the game have been overshadowed by Umar Sadiq’s presence with Real Sociedad just days after pulling out of the Africa Cup of Nations due to injury.
The situation has also left Peseiro “confused”
“I am confused also,” Peseiro told reporters in Abidjan when asked how the 26-year-old could have recovered already from a knee injury he believed would prevent the player from having any involvement at the AFCON.
“I received a report from the medical team that he is injured and he cannot recover in 15 days at least.
“The report went to the club and the club said he must go back to recover — they even said there was a possibility he might need surgery.
“We had a meeting with our staff and the player wanted to stay like I did, but on the last day that we could replace a player, we decided to replace him,” the coach stated.
Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil meanwhile suggested this week that it was the Nigerian Football Federation’s decision to send the player back to his club, leaving him potentially available to face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Ivory Coast’s stable outlook
Ivory Coast will still count on tournament first scorer, Seko Fofana who was torn in the flesh of Guinea Bissau. If he is in best tonight then the Nigerian defense will have their hands full
Meanwhile, Sebastian Haller is expected to miss Thursday’s clash as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
In Haller’s absence, Krasso was trusted to spearhead the Les Elephants’ attack against Guinea-Bissau and the 26-year-old should team up with Jeremie Boga and Celta Vigo forward Jonathan Bamba.
Despite the Ivorianns having a more stable outlook, manager Jean-Louis Gasset is expecting a difficult test against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
“Nigeria is a top team, they have good players, some of the best in Africa. You can’t judge them with the first game against Equatorial Guinea,” Gasset told a press conference in Abidjan on Wednesday.
“I think they struggled with the weather a bit in their first game. It’s not easy to play at 2pm here. Teams struggled even when they play in the evening, so you can imagine how difficult it was for them.”
“So, we are not going to judge them with the performance against Equatorial Guinea.
“It’s not going to be an easy game for us. They are a tough opponent and will make things difficult for us,” the French man added.
