Eagles battle Cheetahs for 2025 AFCON ticket

For the third time in six months, Nigeria and Benin Republic will do battle on Thursday (today) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast as they seek to seal their automatic places for the 2025 AFCON, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

After defeating the Cheetahs 3-0 in the first leg at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, in September, the Super Eagles visit Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Ivory Coast – Benin Republic’s adopted home ground – for the fifteenth time this time around. year needing a win to cement their automatic place at Morocco 2025.

Ultimately, a draw is the bare minimum for Nigeria to progress and the Super Eagles will also be playing to avoid a repeat of their 2-1 defeat to the Cheetahs at the same ground in June during the ill-fated 2026 World Cup qualifiers .

The Eagles currently top qualifying Group D with 10 points, but their opponents and second-placed Benin Republic, who are four points behind them, need a win to remain in contention for the second automatic spot.

This knowledge will inform a feisty approach in the encounter that will be judged by the Senegalese referee Issa Sy.

Austin Eguavoen’s men have been almost perfect, winning three out of four matches without conceding a goal, but Benin Republic, led by former Nigeria coach Genort Rohr, can afford no more slip-ups after the rumble in Kigali as they still could be it. thrown if they lose their last two matches and Rwanda, on five points, earn a minimum of two points in their own last two. Even Libya, with just one point, can still leapfrog Benin if they beat Rwanda in Kigali, the Cheetahs get hammered by the Eagles and the Knights topple the Cheetahs in North Africa on Monday.

Super Eagles defender and 2023 AFCON MVP, William Troost-Ekong, who missed the 2-1 defeat in June, said the Super Eagles are going beyond the bare minimum.

“Stadium is familiar territory,” Troost-Ekong said. “We have had good results here before but we are focused on avenging our last loss to Benin and securing the win.”

Rohr is probably aware of Nigeria’s improvement since the defeat in June and is wary of the Eagles’ threat.

“To repeat the feat of June will be complicated because Nigeria is now at full strength, but we believe in ourselves.

“Although we would have preferred to have Cedric and Olivier with us, we are prepared to move on without them,” the German gaffer told Foot Africa in an interview.

Unlike Rohr, coach Austin Eguavoen has the full complement of his squad to choose from and qualify with a game to spare.

The gaffer is likely to start with the team that battled the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo last month, meaning captain William Ekong and Calvin Bassey in central defence, with wing-backs Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi as well as Bright Osayi-Samuel returning to the back line.

Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi and a pair of defensive midfielders, Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika are available for the midfield spots while Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and Kelechi Iheanacho are in the selection pool in the foreground.

The match starts at 20:00 Nigerian time.