Nigeria and Cameroon are set to revive their rivalry in a round of 16 clash during the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Ivory Coast today.
Having secured the second spot in Group A, the Eagles will face Rigobert Song’s team, which advanced to the knockout stage with a late 3-2 comeback victory against The Gambia in Group C.
The Eagles are determined to avoid a repeat of their round of 16 exit, having been eliminated at this stage by Tunisia in the last edition in Cameroon. Jose Peseiro, aiming for his first AFCON quarter-final, has indicated that he will stick with the effective 3-4-3 formation used in previous victories against Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau.
This tactical setup transforms into five defenders, comprising three center-backs and two full-backs, when the team is defending, creating frustration for the opposition.
Peseiro is expected to retain a similar lineup that has brought the team to this stage of the competition, including the trio of William Troost-Ekong (if fit), Alex Iwobi, and Ademola Lookman, who are likely to be reinstated in the starting lineup for the upcoming match.
In anticipation of the game, Peseiro confirmed that he won’t be making significant changes to his lineup against the Indomitable Lions.
“At least one goal, we’ll attack well and defend together, you do that and we win,” Peseiro said.
“I have studied many of the matches between both teams but tomorrow (today) our objective is to win the match.
“I will try to stick with what I have been doing and hope our players start scoring more goals soon. The statistics say we are the team with the most goal scoring opportunities, and for that I cannot change my team or formation.”
Peseiro’s side has struggled for goals at tournament, netting three times despite heading into the knockout stage as the competition’s top creators, fashioning more clear-cut chances (13) than the other 23 sides.
The Nigerian Football Federation Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen, who was on-field captain for the squad that won the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia, believes that the Eagles can soar over the Indomitable Lions if they play with flair and flexibility.
“Cameroon will always come with determination and grit,”Eguavoen said.
“The Eagles have to be even more prepared for them and deploy the greater flair and flexibility that we have.”
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s head coach, Rigobert Song, has revealed that he is aware of the threat Nigeria poses to his team’s chances of reaching the quarter-final and was swift to add that a comprehensive strategy is in place to curtail the fearsome attack of the Eagles led by Victor Osimhen.
Song, converted the decisive penalty in a shoot-out at the 2000 AFCON final in Nigeria after extra time scores were level at 2-2.
The former Liverpool, West Ham United and Galatasaray player acknowledged Osimhen’s prowess, hailing him as a “wonderful striker”.
However, he swiftly shifted the narrative, emphasising that the concentration of his team is not singularly on Osimhen but extends to the entire Nigerian squad.
“We have strong respect for Nigeria because they’re a very good side. “But we have our plans in place on how to approach this game.
“We respect him (Osimhen). He’s a wonderful striker. But our concentration is not just on him. It is on the entire team. We know what we need to do, and our strategy is in place. We know that our main focus is for Nigeria. They are a strong team. We are doing everything because we are here to win.”
With reports pointing to the return of Vincent Aboubakar from injury, Cameroon could be tempted to play the centre-forward from the start against the Eagles.
