Peseiro has full belief in depth of Nigeria squad
Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro maintains he has full belief in the depth of his squad ahead of its Africa Cup of Nations opener against Equatorial Guinea in Abidjan.
The Super Eagles are among the favourites for the tournament as they look to add to their three previous titles, the most recent of which came in 2013.
Peseiro’s side scored 22 goals in six games during qualifying, which was the highest of the 24 teams that reached the finals.
Much is expected of African footballer of the year Victor Osimhen, the Napoli forward having netted 10 times to help Nigeria on its way to the Ivory Coast.
Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon and Ademola Lookman are all part of an attack-minded squad.
Peseiro, though, insists it needs a collective effort if the Super Eagles are to live up to their pre-tournament billing.
“I believe in my players, in all of them, from the goalkeeper to the striker,” Peseiro said ahead of Monday's (AEDT) Group A match.
“Every team sometimes has more power in certain positions. It happens to all national teams.
“It is my job and responsibility to create a good organisation, but the main point is that I believe in them.”
Nigeria has had to deal with some injury problems, as Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface and Umar Sadiq are all unavailable.
Equatorial Guinea coach Juan Micha, though, knows just what a challenge his side will face at Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
“It will be a very complicated match and we will be playing against one of the best teams in Africa,” he said.
