Coach Aliyu Zubairu reacts to the new AFCON draw for Flying Eagles of Nigeria
The Head Coach of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles has reacted to the new draw made for the upcoming U20 AFCON in Egypt.
The new draw which was released on Sunday became necessary following the withdrawal of the Cote’Divoire from hosting the tournament.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles were formerly drawn alongside Egypt, South Africa and Morocco.
Speaking about the development, the gaffer dismissed the narrative around facing off with strong teams,noting that there are no more minows in African football.
He said “I think it is high time we stop looking at some teams as bigger while some as smaller , I don’t think there is any minor opposition in Africa any longer it all depends on your level of preparation.
Ali who expressed confidence in his team stated that the reality of football is to prepare for any opponent and not to give excuses.
“Imagine when the first draw was done we called it group of death simply because we were drawn alongside, Egypt, South Africa and Morocco now we have a new draws that consist , Tunisia, Kenya with the same Morocco we have started saying another difficult group. Which country do we want to play that is not tough? All I will say is how much have we prepared is what should be the issue.
Speaking of how the team fared in Katsina during their three week camping, he noted that there’s been an improvement, adding that the team has also increased their adaptation level, even as he said that the team is not wary of the North African sides in the new group.
“Going by what we observed in Katsina the team has made a tremendous improvement in terms of blending the team together and adapt a more advanced approach to matches” he stated.
He pointed out that approaching North African teams i an insight that’s best kept within the ranks of the team.
The gaffer further stated that “There is no pressure of any kind all we are doing is to keep focus to achieve our first target which is to get the ticket to the world cup.
Back in Abuja following their three-week training camp in Katsina, the seven-time African champions are expected to fly to Egypt this week for an eight-day final-phase preparation before the competition commences. The 24th Africa U20 Cup of Nations takes place in Egypt from 27th April – 18th May this year.
The Nigerian team who won the WAFU-B regional cup to qualify for the African showpiece are now determined to secure a ticket the World Cup.
All four semi-finalists at the tournament in Egypt will fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, 27th September – 19th October
