A key midfielder in Rwanda’s national team, Djihad Bizimana has vowed that he and his teammates will give 150% effort on Saturday, in order to finally sink Nigeria’s slim hope of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Sports247 gathered that the Al-Ahli of Libya battler, who previously played for APR of Rwanda, Deinze and SK Beveren of Belgium, as well as Kryvbas of Ukraine, is psyching his colleagues to pull off a shock victory at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Bizimana admitted that Nigeria has big name players, and recalled that the Super Eagles defeated his side 2-0 during the first leg in Kigali, but stressed that all efforts they will put up on the pitch should determine who wins.
The 28-year-old defensive midfielder added that the Rwandan team’s decision to arrive in Uyo on Tuesday was a well-calculated strategy to make Amavubi’s players feel at home heading into Saturday’s game; adding that they will not fear anything during the upcoming encounter at The Nest of Champions.
He disclosed, “There’s nothing to worry about. We are all here, and we came to Nigeria ahead of time. We don’t think about names and we, as players, are really focused on what we are doing in the training sessions.”
He concluded with a view that Amavubi are aware of the desperation with which the Eagles will enter Saturday’s game, hence his declaration that they are in Uyo to play as spoilers to Nigeria’s USA/Canada/Mexico 2026 ambition.
“There’s nothing to worry about. We will go and try to give 100% or even 150% effort, because we know they are a good team. They really need to win this game to come back to their rhythm, but we also want to show that we are ready,” concluded Bizimana.
Sports247 adds that Rwanda head into Saturday’s game third on the group table, just a point ahead of Nigeria, whose fourth position on the log has been considered very precarious ahead of the last two pairs of games in the qualifiers.
The Eagles will next play away to group leaders South Africa on Tuesday, knowing fully that it could jolly well be a massive decider should both teams win this weekend’s fixtures.
South Africa, who stand to lose three of their 13 points in the boardroom for using an inelligible player, appear with an advantage, as they play Friday’s ‘away’ fixture versus Lesotho on their home soil in Bloemfontein, where they will also host Nigeria on Tuesday.
