Nigeria Super Eagles coach, Éric Chelle, has described Tuesday’s CHAN 2024 showdown with defending champions, Senegal, at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, as a “big game”, www.aclsports.com reports.
Eric Chelle, who appeared before the press for his first media outing on Monday, noted that his side is solely focused on Tuesday’s clash with the defending champions, and not the other games against Congo and Sudan.
“I don’t wanna talk about Congo or Sudan for now,” Chelle said when asked about Nigeria’s upcoming group opponents.
“Our focus is on our first match tomorrow, we wanna take each game as it comes and take it step by step. Now we face Senegal before we can talk about Congo and Sudan.”
“I don’t think it’s a derby but this is a game between two big countries in Africa. They have a history in football. Senegal have a good generation and a good team,” he explained. “So our preparation for this game has been good and we will look to implement everything we have prepared into this match.”
Skipper of the side, Junior Nduka, regarded as one of the Super Eagles’ key figures ahead of the continental tournament, spoke about the emotional significance of representing the nation and the positive momentum Nigeria brings into Tuesday’s clash.
“To our fellow Nigerians, I know the expectations are high because we have been doing well in sports and we will try our best not to let them down,” said Nduka during the pre-match media briefing in Zanzibar on Monday.
“Our female team has just won the WAFCON and our women’s team just won the basketball title. It’s a good record for the country and we hope to consolidate on that,” the Remo Stars defender concluded.
Nigeria’s squad for the 2024 CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN), composed entirely of home-based players, will face a tough challenge against a Senegalese team renowned for their physicality, tactical discipline, and explosive pace. Tuesday’s game will kick-off by 6pm (Nigerian time).
