The Flying Eagles of Nigeria will begin their U-20 Nations Cup campaign against Tunisia on Thursday at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, in the opening match of Group B.
Nigeria will slug it out with Tunisia, Morocco, and Kenya for a place in the second round of the competition.
The host country, Egypt, opened the tournament with a 2-1 victory over South Africa on Sunday, while Zambia and Sierra Leone played out a goalless draw in Group A.
In Group C, Ghana, Senegal, the Central African Republic, and the DR Congo will slug it out for supremacy.
The Flying Eagles completed their preparations for the tournament with a 2-1 win over Egypt In their last friendly match.
Nigeria coach Aliyu Zubairu believes the win over the Young Pharaohs will boost the morale of the team against Egypt.
He said, “That result has provided a good impetus for us as we prepare to face the Tunisians – another North African opposition. You need a result like that when you’re preparing for a competition like this. It does not mean that we will rest on our oars; it only serves to give us much-needed confidence and ginger us to face our challenges better.
“We will go for the maximum points against the Tunisians and then take it one step at a time as we forge ahead.”
The Flying Eagles will be banking on the likes of Kparobo Arierhi, who scored three goals at the WAFU B U20 Championship; Germany-based Precious Benjamin; and homeboys Clinton Jephta and Divine Oliseh to deliver the goodies in the tournament.
The Young Eagles of Tunisia did not originally qualify for these finals, but they were handed a place after the original host, Côte d’Ivoire, pulled out at the last minute.
All four semi-finalists at the tournament will qualify to fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, 27th September – 19th October.
The Flying Eagles will take on Tunisia on Thursday at 4 pm Nigerian time.
