Ex-international, Ifeanyi Udeze, has said the Super Eagles must take the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic today at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, very seriously and show Gernot Rohr, the former Nigeria’s coach , who is now the manager of the West African opponents, that the World Cup qualifier loss to his men earlier this year was a blip.
It would be recalled that Benin Republic secured a shock 2-1 win over Nigeria in June putting the Eagles’ World Cup chances in jeopardy. But Udeze asked the team to avenge the defeat on Saturday, urging the boys to take the game seriously as it is not going to be easy.
“They have to take the game very seriously; it’s a tough match, it’s not going to be an easy one for our Super Eagles,” he said.
“I think Benin are coming here to put up a fight and see if they can go away with even a draw. Remember, their coach is our former national team handler, and the last time when they hosted us at the World Cup qualifiers, they defeated us 2-1.
“So he will also want to come here and prove the kind of a point by being stubborn. So it’s going to be a very tough game. But for me, I think we should come all out, play them man for man, and let them know that yes, we’re going to win. Let them know that what happened before was just a blip and it can’t happen again. Let’s just take that as a mistake, and I think this is the opportunity to correct it.”
Meanwhile, the former West Brom Albion defender said new Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, remains the Super Eagles poster boy and that not playing competitive football for a while, after he was frozen out from the Napoli squad, will not affect his performance.
Udeze said as a professional player, Osimhen should be able to get the job done if selected by the technical crew to play in the game against Benin.
He added: “I know a lot of people have been saying that he has not played any competitive game for the past three months. He has been training alone. Yes, I agree. But he’s a professional player. He knows what to do.
“It all depends on the coach. Whether the coach wants to start him, he might decide to start him up for the first 45 minutes or bring him in in the second half to come and seal the game. I think he really wants to play these games against Benin and Rwanda to also help him return to competitive football and at the same time help Nigeria get a win.”
AFCON Qualifiers: Prove Loss To Benin In June Was A Blip, Udeze Tells Eagles
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