Julius OkorieAlready qualified Super Eagles will officially close the curtain on 2025 AFCON Qualifier today, as they take on Amavubi of Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
Eagles who picked the ticket to the 35th AFCON billed for Morocco after their 1-1 draw against Benin Republic on Thursday, will not be under pressure as they entertain their Rwandan counterparts in what can best be described as formality match and icing on the cake should the Austin Eguavoen tutored side choose to go for outright victory.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe first leg of the two legged encounter between the two teams ended goalless at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
Eagles will be without regular goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, who has been excused to attend to family matters following the demise of his father within the week.
Recall that Primebusiness.africa had predicted that Nwabali who was a delight to watch at the last AFCON in Cote d Ivoire, would be granted off-duty against Rwanda following the unfortunate development.
He will not be the only one that will be missing in action today as Nottingham Forest star Ola Aina has also been allowed to return to England on the request of his club.
The premier league we understand had pleaded with Coach Austin Eguavoen to release the defender ahead of their clash against Arsenal on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium since Nigeria’s AFCON ticket has already been signed sealed and delivered.
CAF footballer of the year nominee and Ballon d Or 14th place finisher Ademola Lookman is a doubt in this encounter after he picked a knock in the encounter against Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday.
Meanwhile Gernot Rohr Cheetahs of Benin Will be walking tight rope as they face Libya at the 65,000 capacity June 11 Stadium in Tripoli.
Benin are currently second in the Group with seven points with Rwanda third with five points. Libya are last on the ladder with four points but could play the spoiler for the Cheetahs if they pull a resounding victory.
READ ALSO :Super Eagles Goalie Nwabali Mourns Father, May Be Off-Duty Against Rwanda
There are strong indications that Libya still angry with CAF hammer, following the botched match against Nigeria will be unleashing all the arsenal in their armoury against Cheetahs to earn a resounding victory that will take them to seven points though with inferior goal difference. Eagles match against Rwanda though formality for Nigeria is important to both Benin Republic and Rwanda.
Should the encounter at Uyo end goalless, it will leave Rwanda with six points and should Benin lose against Libya they will at par at seven points with Libya but may still advance on better goal difference. Rohr and his men must however avoid heavy defeat if they are to keep their chances of qualifying alive.
A worried Gernot Rohr is hoping that the Eagles will play as though they have not qualified and take Rwanda to the cleaners as that will be a plus for Cheetahs. He however added that the draw against Nigeria was a morale booster which the Cheetahs will take into the game against Mediterranean Knights even as he hopes that his boys will take their chances and not waste them like they did against Eagles.
“It was a fair result, but we were unlucky. If we had taken the chances we created at 1-0, maybe the result would have been different. “We’ve got to avoid defeat against Libya, but you don’t play for a draw. “We’ll use the confidence from today to approach the game in Benghazi. Hopefully, the Super Eagles will beat Rwanda in Uyo.” said Rohr after the match against Eagles in Abidjan. Nineteen Countries have already booked their places in the 2025 AFCON with five more expected to seal their places between today and tomorrow.
Some other matches lined up for today include Malawi against Burkina Faso and Sudan against Angolo. Others are Ghana against Niger and Tunisia against Gambia.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
