Nigeria will attempt to keep their focus on Saturday at the 2021 AFCON as the Super Eagles take on underdogs Sudan following their excellent victory over Egypt. Facing a Sudanese team that continues its rebuilding project, now Nigerian supporters will be interested to see how their team performs when in the role of heavy favorites. Sudan, meanwhile, will be attempting to obtain a result that will keep them in contention in Group D.
Super Eagles manager Augustine Eguavoen is doing all he can to temper expectations after the Egypt result, refusing to label Nigeria as favorites to win the competition despite an excellent performance. “We are condemned to win now”, said Eguavoen in post-match comments following the Egypt victory before later stating that the team will take each game one-by-one in line with his pre-tournament approach. Nigeria’s only major injury/illness concern is with central defender Chidozie Awaziem, who is likely out for one more match with an ankle injury. Another central defender, Kenneth Omeruo, left the Egypt match on a stretcher but is announced as fit to play against Sudan, sparing Eguavoen a headache in selecting his defensive line.
On the other side, the headline news from the Sudan camp is that star forward Mohamed Abdelrahman will be out due to injury. Scorer of eight of Sudan’s last sixteen goals, the 28-year-old’s absence will be a crucial blow to the Sudanese attack. Manager Burhan Tia announced that Abdelrahman will be the only absence on Saturday and that his team are prepared to make up for the talent difference between the two teams by fighting to the end. Following the team’s 0-0 draw against Guinea-Bissau, confidence is building for a team that is keeping its focus on the future while currently attempting to battle for results against more fancied teams.
News links are below with the latest news and comments from the Nigeria camp.
