AFCON 2025 QUALIFIER: Super Eagles Ready for Battle of Kigali, Says Eguavoen

Femi Solaja

Table-toppers Nigeria, still basking in the great-feel of their 3-0 defeat of the Benin Republic’s Cheetahs, will this afternoon take on Rwanda’s Amavubi (Wasps) at the refurbished 45,000-capacity facility in the heart of Kigali in a Matchday 2 encounter of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, from 2pm Nigeria time.

Speaking ahead of the clash in Kigali today, Interim Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, insisted yesterday that Nigeria’s mission in the Rwandan capital is to pick all three points.

Eguavoen started his fourth stint with the Super Eagles on a fabulous note, with the three-time African kings decimating Benin Republic’s Cheetahs 3-0 in Uyo on Saturday.

The 58-year-old intends to continue along the win-and-smile path when Nigeria confront Rwanda at the Amahoro National Stadium, Kigali on Tuesday afternoon.

“We play to win all the time, because Nigerians expect their team to win all the time. And because we have a team with great personnel, we play every team with respect but we don’t get intimidated by any. Our objective for Tuesday’s game is the three points,” insisted the ex-international.

Eguavoen is happy with the new spirit in the Nigerian camp as all the 23 players are hungry to play to win for the country.

News from Eagles’ Radisson Blu Hotel camp in Kigali confirmed that all the players are fit and ready, meaning that goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali should be expected to start, alongside captain Ekong, Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey at the heart of defence, while Olaoluwa Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi will be wingbacks.

Wilfred Ndidi will possibly anchor the midfield that will have Alex Iwobi or Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, while Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface and Samuel Chukwueze could still start at the fore.

While also speaking at the pre-match post conference at the Amahoro Stadium on Monday, Super Eagles Captain, William Troost-Ekong echoed Eguavoen’s earlier mission statement: “We are here for a purpose. With Coach Eguavoen, who has coached the team before, we all feel like a family. We will play for each other and go for the three points that will establish us at the top of the table,” concludes the Centre-back who recently moved to the Saudi Pro League side, Al-Kholood.

However, the hosts are not likely to give up and allow the Amavubi to be steamrolled by the Super Eagles.

Their German Coach, Torsten Spittler, has roused the country of 13 million people to believe that the Amavubi can torpedo Nigeria, Libya and Benin Republic, and earn their first ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations since 2004.

He flaunts an impressive record though, having led the team to win three of their last eight matches, drawing four and losing one.

Spittler intends to set defenders Claude Niyomugabo, Fitina Omborenga, Ange Mutsinzi, Jean Claude Niyomugabo and Christian Ishimwe against Nigeria’s twin-terrors Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen, who both concocted the three goals that deflated Benin Republic in Uyo at the weekend.

In the midfield, Olivier Niyonzima, Bonheur Mugisha and Jean Bosco Rubineka can prove a handful on their day, and at the fore, Spittler has implicit confidence in Gilbert Mugisha, Bienvenu Mugenzi and Innocent Nshuti, who got the team’s equalizer against Libya in Tripoli last week.

Tuesday’s encounter is the first of four battles between the Eagles and the Amavubi in the next 12 months, with the two teams to clash again in November in Nigeria in the final round of this qualifying race, and then do a home-and-away in the 2026 FIFA World Cup race with the Wasps also hosting Nigeria first in March next year.

RESULTS

(AFCON)

Ma’gascar 1-1 Comoros

E’Guinea 2-2 Togo

Niger 1-1 Ghana

Uganda 2-0 Congo

Burundi 0-1 Senegal

TODAY

Rwanda v Nigeria

Gabon v. CAR

Botswana v Egypt

C’Verde v. Mauritania