The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to face the Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau in a crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match at the 24 September Stadium in Bissau on Tuesday. The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, has urged the team to remain focused and avoid distractions ahead of the top-of-the-table clash in Group L. Both teams have won their first-day encounters, making this match a significant test for the Super Eagles.
The Nigerian contingent arrived in Bissau on Sunday evening aboard a chartered ValueJet aircraft, which landed at the Aeroporto Internacional Osvaldo Vieira at 7:07 pm local time. The delegation was received by the Consul of the Embassy of Nigeria in Bissau, Mr. Ifeanyi Obuneme Chukwuenyem, officials of the Guinea Bissau Football Federation, and a group of excited Nigerians led by the President of the Nigerian Community Football Association, Mr. Agwu Ojukwu.
Dr. Ikpeme emphasized the importance of focus and concentration for the entire 90 minutes of the match, citing Guinea-Bissau's strength as a team. He referenced the Super Eagles' previous encounter with Guinea-Bissau at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, which required significant effort to win. The team has a history with Guinea-Bissau, having played four official matches at senior level, with the Super Eagles winning three of them.
The Super Eagles and Guinea-Bissau have had a closely contested history, with the most recent match at the AFCON finals in Cote d'Ivoire seeing Nigeria win by a lone goal. Prior to that, the teams played a 2023 AFCON qualifying match in Abuja, which Guinea-Bissau won, and a subsequent match in Bissau, which Nigeria won by the same margin. Moses Simon scored the winning goal in the match in Bissau.
The Confederation of African Football has appointed a team of referees from Ethiopia to take charge of Tuesday's encounter. Tewodros Mitiku will serve as the match referee, assisted by Fasika Biru Fasika, Tigle Belachew, and Manuhe Woldetsadik. Senegalese official Yaya Balde will serve as the commissioner, while former FIFA referee Papa Bakary Gassama from The Gambia will be the referee assessor.
The Super Eagles secured a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in a previous AFCON match on January 19, 2022, at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium in Garoua, Cameroon. Sadiq Umar and William Troost-Ekong scored second-half goals to give Nigeria all three points in a Group D AFCON match. The team will look to draw on this experience as they face Guinea-Bissau once again.
The match is set to commence at 4 pm Guinea-Bissau time, which is 5 pm in Nigeria. A win for the Super Eagles would be crucial in their quest to qualify for the 2027 AFCON. The team's focus and determination will be put to the test as they face a strong Guinea-Bissau side.
Key points
- The Super Eagles must be fully focused to overcome Guinea-Bissau.
- The teams have a closely contested history, with Nigeria winning three of their four official matches.
- The match will be refereed by a team from Ethiopia, appointed by the Confederation of African Football.
