Nigeria will take on Algeria on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Marrakesh, as the Super Eagles continue their quest to reach the final of the tournament.
Despite a brief moment of tension during the Mozambique match involving Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, all appears to be calm within the Nigerian camp. The squad arrived in Marrakesh on Thursday and held their first training session later that day, signaling a full shift of focus to the task ahead.
With off-field distractions now behind them, the Super Eagles have also received a strong vote of confidence from former Nigeria winger Sambo Choji.
The former Saabruken star in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa stated that this current Super Eagles side has the quality and character to go all the way, even with a formidable Algerian team standing in their path.
“You can see the team has done well so far in the competition and they keep improving game by game in my opinion. Everything that has happened in the team after the Mozambique game has been settled and the team is focused now on the game,” Choji exclusively told Footy-Africa.
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“Algeria are a very tough team to deal with and they have some very good players, but I believe in our boys to beat them and make the semi-final. It will be a very tough game for Nigeria, to be honest, but I believe in the boys. Lookman is on fire and Osimhen is also getting better with each game.”
“I hope the defence can be solid, with Bassey and Ajayi cutting off the supply to Mahrez. If we can do that, then it will be a Nigeria win. It will not be easy, but I tip Nigeria to win the game,” he concluded.
The three-time African champions booked their place in the last eight with a commanding 4-0 victory over Mozambique in the Round of 16, setting up a mouth-watering clash against the 1990 AFCON winners.
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Saturday’s encounter also offers Nigeria the chance to settle old scores, having suffered a painful 2-1 semi-final defeat to Algeria at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, when Riyad Mahrez’s late free-kick sealed the Super Eagles’ exit.
