Ahead of the highly anticipated second Group A match on Thursday of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, January 18 between the host and Super Eagles, Jay-Jay Okocha has backed Nigeria to emerge victorious.
In the group stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, this is the match that everyone is looking forward to as the Elephants play the Super Eagles in their second Group A match on Thursday, January 18.
In their first meeting, Cote d’Ivoire defeated Guinea-Bissau 2-0 while Equatorial Guinea held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw and in advance of the match, CAFOnline conducted an exclusive interview with African football legend Jay-Jay Okocha to hear his comments.
Asked on the gravity of the game, Okocha said;
“Of course! Every game is challenging, but it gets considerably harder when you play the host nation. Naturally, though, one of the greatest things about football is that the only way to become a champion is to defeat the greatest. Additionally, every football game is challenging, as we all know”.
“You have a chance to win your match if you are well-prepared. Though we Nigerians are aware that it will be a challenging game, we also think we have enough talent to prevail”.
“I believe that experience, desire, and mental condition will be crucial. Since they are experts and are aware of the significance of this match, in my opinion, their mentality will be crucial”, he added.
Nigeria lost their previous encounter with Cote d’Ivoire in 2015. Does this come into play?
“It extends beyond Cote d’Ivoire. These days, every match is challenging. The difference has closed, and I believe history is no longer a major factor. We are interested in playing the current Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday. You can see that there isn’t much of a difference between our two teams. It will work well together”.
What are your thoughts on Senegal, the reigning champions, or Morocco, the recent World Cup semi-finalists?
We definitely have a good number of teams who we believe have what it takes to succeed. I saw Senegal play yesterday, and they performed admirably, as you mentioned. Naturally, Morocco impressed us at the World Cup, so we anticipate success from them”.
“However, you also can’t ignore teams like Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola since they shown just how tough the AFCON has gotten. A squad is no longer able to be viewed as the underdog. Of course, Cote d’Ivoire, the organizing nation, is also present”.
“They have a sizable fan base behind them, making them a formidable opponent in this event. Therefore, it would be premature to declare a favorite”, he concluded.
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