One of the most anticipated games of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations takes centre stage on Saturday at the Complexe Sportif du Fes in Morocco. The battle of the Eagles between Nigeria and Tunisia.
This game is one of few in the group stage of this 2025 tournament that has two former champions at daggers drawn and when it is Nigeria against Tunisia, it is extra special.
This is the first time both sides will meet at the group stage of the AFCON since 2000 when current Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi started for the Carthage Eagles in a 2-4 loss to co-hosts Nigeria. Since then, it’s always been a knockout fixture.
With Nigeria rather unexpectedly losing in their last meeting in Garoua, Cameroon, Nigerians have attached more importance to this game; from the players to the fans, everyone seems wary of 2025’s Tunisia, much so that not many are confident of a win for the Super Eagles.
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ACLSports Chief Football Writer, Fisayo Dairo pens his Classic Preview of the game from Ain Chkf in Fes.
CAN THE GAROUA PTSD GO AWAY?
Nigerians are still feeling tremors in the aftermath of the aforementioned loss to Tunisia on January 23, 2022 and until the Super Eagles properly hand a beating to Tunisia, it would not go away. This game provides an opportunity for that.
Unfortunately though, the Super Eagles have not inspired that sort of confidence in their fans lately that could shake the post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of that horror night in Garoua away.
I asked team captain, Wilfred Ndidi if he and the likes of Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze and Zaidu Sanusi who featured in that 2021 game had talked about it and he confirmed yes, adding that they hope it would not happen again.
Lorient defender Montassar Talbi who featured in the game is one of Tunisia’s most reliable defenders now and he remains confident that his side can inflict another pain on the three times champions inside the cold of Fes.
CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH
Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle is blessed with a fit squad ahead of the top-of-the-table match up against Tunisia. With twenty-eight fully fit players available at his disposal, Chelle has a welcomed selection headache for this task.
It’s a second group game and considering that not much energy was exerted for the first game against Tanzania, the Eagles have their players fully fit with 50% of the playing staff yet to kick a ball in this competition.
It remains to be seen the type of alterations that the Malian may want to make to his selection as compared to Tuesday’s game against the Taifa Stars because everyone is fit and raring to go.
WHAT THEY SAY:
Eric Chelle:
“We analyzed 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.”
Wilfred Ndidi:
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.”
”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.”
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Montassar Talbi (Tunisia):
“I don’t think we are the favourites for tomorrow because Nigeria also did a really big game for the first game, and they are doing well. I think it will be a really good game.
“We are confident, we hope to make a good game. Maybe this is the final of the group, and we want to finish first, and hopefully we will do well. It will be a nice fight, but we hope to win.”
MATCH DETAILS:
Match: Nigeria vs Tunisia
Venue: Complexe Sportif du Fes, Fes
Time: 9pm local time (9pm NGT)
Referee: Boubou Traore (Mali)
