Nigeria still chasing glory as it chases last 16 spot
Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro is standing by his bullish claim that he will lead the Super Eagles to a first Africa Cup of Nations title since 2013.
Peseiro’s men head into their final Group A game against already-eliminated Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan on Tuesday (AEDT) knowing just a draw will be good enough to secure a place in the knockout stages.
But after watching his side shrug off its sluggish start against Equatorial Guinea by beating host Cote d'Ivoire last time out, Peseiro is demanding his side maintains its belated momentum.
Peseiro said: “I have said I want to win AFCON even though my contract says I should get to the final.
“It would be better to protect myself and not create expectations, because if I don’t win, it is worse for me. But I put my mind and the mind of my players that we want to win.”
Peseiro is expected to pick between Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Joe Aribo of Southampton for a midfield berth with Alhassan Yusuf set to miss out again.
Guinea-Bissau will go into the game at full strength despite its elimination after defeat to Equatorial Guinea.
Head coach Baciro Cande is determined that his side bow out on a high note, admitting: “I feel sad.
“We wanted to win [against Equatorial Guinea] but did not succeed. Before their goal, we had four chances plus a penalty that was refused.
“We worked hard to be ready and football is sometimes like that. We have one game left to close the group stage, and we hope to win.”
Group A leader Equatorial Guinea will place Cote d'Ivoire in the other match of the group at the same time, the third-placed hosts looking for a win to guarantee their passage into the Round of 16.
