Izuchukwu OkosiFormer Super Eagles midfielder and head coach Sunday Oliseh is banking on the attacking prowess of the team to lift the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire against the hosts this evening, reports Prime Business Africa.
The current African Footballer of The Year, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho are some of the attacking players that current coach Jose Peseiro would depend on for the goals against the Elephants.
Speaking to Arise News ahead of the final Showdown, Oliseh however revealed that Cote d’Ivoire will not be an easy opponent and had preferred a meeting with DR Congo.
“I was hoping we play against Congo DR because I thought that they would be easier for us (Nigeria) to manage and play against,” Oliseh admitted.
“Also as regards support, the fans will be massive for the Ivorians. But if you are talking about the strength of this Ivorian side, it’s the mental side.
“They were almost out of the tournament but bounced back. They are growing with that mental side of the game.
Oliseh who was key player when the Super Eagles won the title for the second time in 1994 would however not delve into what he considers the strength of the Nigerians although the attacking talent as spearheaded by Victor Osimhen is no secret.
“They (Ivorians) will be playing for their lives. I will not go into what we can do to hurt them because anything I say will go viral so we have to protect our team.
“But with the likes of Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and the other guys in our attack, I believe we can hurt them. That is where my confidence is coming from,” Oliseh posited.
Tonight’s game kicks off at 9 pm Nigerian time.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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