Nottingham Forest of England defender Ola Aina has acknowledged that he and his colleagues in Nigeria’s national team, Super Eagles, are bound to face a tough challenge from Madagascar this Friday in Uyo, when they clash at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
Sports247 reports that it is the start of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and, with memories of how the Eagles have struggled for form at the same venue in recent times, Aina admitted Madagascar will also want to cause an upset there.
However, while conceding that the game will be tough, Aina stressed that the Eagles’ players know what is at stake and then assured that they will all step up their efforts in order to leave ‘The Nest of Champions’ with all three points in the kitty.
“It’s good spirit everywhere, and it’s very well right now. I expect it to be like any other game we play. When we come to AFCON qualifiers, it will be tough, and it will be hard. No team is easy. So, it will be a good test for us.
“Nigerians should expect a good game. We expect ourselves to play well and we’re working towards the three points,” said Aina, who previously played for Chelsea, Fulham and Hull City of England as well as AS Torino of Italy.
A preview by the communications department of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) added, “Friday’s clash with the Barea will stir memories of interesting past encounters between the two countries at senior level.
“At this same stage, 16 years ago (commencement of an AFCON qualification race), the Super Eagles defeated the Barea 2-0 in Calabar on 5th September 2010. A year later, in the reverse fixture in Antananarivo, the Eagles won by the same margin.
“However, on the last day of June 2019, the Barea caused one of the biggest upsets in AFCON history by defeating Nigeria 2-0 in a group phase match in Alexandria (though) the Eagles had already qualified for the tournament’s Round of 16 before that encounter.
“On Friday, both teams will battle for three crucial points at the beginning of another AFCON ticket race, with The Barea sounding off that they are ready for battle, after arriving in Uyo three clear days ahead of the encounter.”
