Chelle’s men battle Northerners for Group C top spot

The Franco-Malian tactician acknowledged errors from the Tanzania match but expressed confidence in his squad’s readiness.

“We analysed the game, and we did some things in the game, bad and good. But the goal was bad for us. The reality was that we scored immediately after the goal, and that was a good reaction. We will work on it, and if there is no mistake, there is no goal, but my players are very ready for this game.”

Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi insisted Nigeria are fully prepared to ensure there is no repeat of their painful defeat to Tunisia, when the Carthage Eagles eliminated them 1-0 in the Round of 16 at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.

It was a painful loss in 2021. It gives us more confidence when we talk about it. We don’t want to think about what happened; we just want to face this one,” Ndidi said.

Definitely, it is a new team, good players, and a good group. We spoke highly of it because it is not going to happen twice, hopefully.”

The former Leicester City midfielder also dismissed suggestions that Nigeria are under pressure following their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“There’s no pressure on us, no pressure at all. We didn’t qualify for the World Cup, but we are actually ready for this tournament; it’s just like another opportunity to correct the wrong,” Ndidi stated.

“The guys are ready, the team is ready for this tournament. It was painful that we didn’t qualify for the World Cup, and we are ready for this to achieve something.”

Tunisia defender Moutassar Taibli revealed how his side intends to handle Nigeria’s attacking threats, particularly the triumvirate of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze.

“We know Nigeria’s attackers are high-level players, but with experience and concentration, the result will be positive,” the utility defender said.

There have been a total of 21 matches between both teams dating back 64 years, with each having won six times, and the remaining nine matches drawn, though some eventually went into penalty shootouts.

At the AFCON finals specifically, Nigeria hold a superior head-to-head record, boasting four wins to Tunisia’s two.

Culled from punch.