Confed Cup experience will lift ‘CHAN’ Eagles, says Amadu

As Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles face their Ivorian coun-terparts in today’s first leg of the  Africa Nations Championship qualifier, Nigeria Football Federation secretary-general Musa Amadu has tipped the team to go as far as winning the tournament in South Africa.

[caption id="attachment_217426" align="alignnone" width="412"] Coach Steven Keshil training the Super Eagles in Abuja.[/caption]

Nigeria failed to qualify for the first two editions of the tournament. But this time around Amadu argued that the bulk of the team players were in coach Stephen Keshi’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and  FIFA confederations cup squad and that exposure will be deciding factor in today’s encounter in Kaduna.

“Eight of the home boys were in Coach Stephen Keshi’s team to the FIFA Confederations Cup, five of them were in the team that triumphed at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and 14 of them were at the training camp in Germany preparatory to the FIFA Confederations Cup and the World Cup qualifiers that preceded it.

“So, if you compare the various teams, the present class is stronger and Nigeria would be third time lucky. We have the team to conquer Cote d’Ivoire,” said Amadu.

Some of the players Keshi will be banking on include defenders Godfrey Oboabona, Chibuzor Okonkwo, Azubuike Egwuekwe. There is also Nations Cup hero, Sunday Mba and striker Mohammed Gambo. On his expectations for the match his first since led the Eagles to back to back defeat to Uruguay and Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup, Keshi stated that it will not be a stroll in the park for his team.

“It will be tough because we are playing against Cote d’Ivoire not against Tahiti or Gambia.

“Cote d’Ivoire has equal potentials. So it is not going to be an easy game but we hope to have a good score line at the end of the game.”