FLYING Eagles head coach Ladan Bosso is upbeat about his team’s chances ahead of the Nigerian lads’ U-20 Africa Cup of Nations clash against Mozambique.
Nigeria face the southern Africans tomorrow in Ismailia in their final Group A fixture, with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake.
A win will guarantee passage to the last eight for the Flying Eagles after winning one of their first two games, while Mozambique need the three points to retain hope of squeezing through.
The Flying Eagles began the tournament on a sour note, losing 1-0 to Senegal in the opening fixture, but they bounced back with a 1-0 win over hosts Egypt on Wednesday.
Bosso said his squad’s confidence and spirit were back after that victory, and he expects a strong performance against Mozambique at the Suez Canal Stadium.
“The win over Egypt has kept the nerves down and the boys can now focus on playing their game; the way we know they can play,” he told the Nigeria Football Federation media team.
“We must stamp our authority on the game from the beginning as we have no idea what will happen in the match between Egypt and Senegal. Our fate is in our hands.”
Senegal currently lead the group with six points, followed by Nigeria with three. Egypt and Mozambique have one point each.
The matches between Senegal and Egypt in Cairo and Nigeria versus Mozambique in Ismailia will kick off at the same time — 6pm Nigerian time.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football has appointed Yannick Malala Kabanga from the Democratic Republic of Congo as the centre referee for the match between Nigeria and Mozambique.
Kabanga will be assisted by Styven Moutsassi Moyo from the Republic of Congo (assistant referee 1), Pascal Ndimunzigo from Burundi (assistant referee 2) and Moroccan Jalal Jayed, who will serve as the fourth official.
Justin Mumba from Zambia will be the match commissioner while Beninoise Rosalie N’dah will be the referee assessor.
