Female national team, Super Falcons former goalkeeper and captain, Precious Dede has reeled out the factors she believes can help the squad retain their African Women’s Nations Cup tile next month.
Sports247.ng can report that Dede, who is now a qualified football coach and assistant in the team’s crew, said the Falcons have enough quality to end top at Ghana 2018, but says they must not underrate any opponent.
Dede added that, apart from the usual rivals like Ghana, Cameroon and South Africa, the Nigerian ladies must also watch out for unheralded teams that would like to be giant killers.
The Falcons will open their AWCON 2018 campaign versus South Africa on November 18 in Cape Coast, before they take on Kenya and Zambia as well in Group B.
Heading into the matches, the Falcons’ assistant coach warned that the players are set for hard battles ahead of them in Ghana.
Dede, who played 99 times for Nigeria and won two AWCON titles, in 2010 and 2014, noted that other African women are equally prepared and ready to fight the Falcons to a stand still.
She, however, backed the Falcons to retain the title, and enthused: “I really pray that we have a good training and preparations.
“Though we have players that can face any team in the world, the African countries are no push overs.
“It isn’t just Cameroon and Ghana; countries like Mali, South Africa and the rest that qualified for the AWCON are so good too.
“They will all give us a fight, but my girls are still coming home with the trophy.”
