*Ekong insists Nigeria will approach clash with confidence 

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Super Eagles Head Coach, Eric Sekou Chelle, is unperturbed that FIFA is yet to do the needful against South Africa that fielded an ineligible player against Lesotho last March. His focus today is for his wards to beat Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein to keep alive Nigeria’s quest to win the Group C ticket to the mundial to be hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada next year.

Speaking ahead of this all-important cracker against group leaders South Africa, Chelle insisted that the Super Eagles are ready to play a great game despite the unavailability of star boy, Victor Osimhen, who got injured in last weekend clash with Rwanda in Uyo.

“This is a big game, I am really happy to play this game, like my players,” Chelle stated in a pre-match media briefing yesterday in Bloemfontein.

“This is the moment to do a great game against a very good with a lot of good players,” stressed the Franco-Mali born gaffer.

He admitted that injured Osimhen is a big loss for the Super Eagles but he equally have other capable players to get the job done today.

“Osimhen is a big star, a very good player, but I also have a big group and they want to play a great game,” he stressed with confidence.

Chelle has picked seven points out of nine in his three games with the squad and believes the group he has been working with has the capacity to turn things on its head and leave Bafana Bafana in the ditch.

Eagles Captain, William Troost-Ekong, similarly enthused the confidence expressed by his coach, assuring Nigerians that South Africa will fall at the end of 90 minutes.

“South Africa is a good team that we respect but we just have to go on the pitch and play our game. Our objective has not changed; we want to go to the FIFA World Cup finals next year,” observed Ekong who was voted Man of the Competition at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Al Kholood defender in the Saudi’s Pro League recalled that Nigeria defeated Bafana Bafana at the last AFCON but that is immaterial now as it is in the past.

“We defeated them at the Africa Cup but that is in the past and some changes have been made to both teams since then. 

Our approach (today) will be devoid of arrogance; we will play with level heads and go all out for victory. There will be no arrogance but we will not be diffident either.

 Super Eagles who are chasing to win all remaining three games of the qualifying series, after falling behind South Africa, Rwanda and Benin Republic in the Group C log. The win over Amavubi  at the weekend has however leapfrogged Nigeria over the Rwanda but are still six points behind leaders Bafana Bafana. 

South Africa however risks losing three points for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho last March. If that happens and Eagles get a win in Bloemfontein today, they be on same 10 points with South Africa with their World Cup destinies in their hands ahead of the remaining two matches in October. 

GROUP C STANDING

                         P.   W.    D.   L.  GD.  PTS

S’Africa.          7.   5.    1.    1.    8.     16

Benin.              7.   3.    2.    2.   0.    11

Nigeria.           7.   2.    4.    1.    2.     10

Rwanda.         7.   2.    2.     3.   -1.    8

Lesotho.          7.   1.    3.     3.  -4.    6

Zimbabwe.      7.   0.    4.     3.    -5.   4

TODAY

Kenya v Seychelles 

Namibia v São Tomé 

S’Leone v Ethiopia 

Tanzania v Niger

Zimbabwe v Rwanda

B’Faso v Egypt 

C’Verde v Cameroon

D.R. Congo v Senegal

S’Africa v Nigeria

Togo v Sudan 

Angola v Mauritius 

Benin v Lesotho

Gabon v Côte d’Ivoire 

Gambia v Burundi

Mauritania v S’Sudan

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