Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees says there’s no reason for his players to be afraid of Nigeria ahead of their World Cup qualifying clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles currently sit fourth in their group with six points after securing their first victory in a 2-0 win against Rwanda at Kigali. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe are still looking for their first win after a 2-2 draw against Benin Republic in their last game.
In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of his team’s training, Michael Nees praised the Super Eagles as a “top-class” team, but urged his own players to stay confident, believe in themselves, and give their all to secure a victory.
In the words of the German tactician: “It’s halfway through the campaign and Nigeria, from the names, it’s top class, absolutely top class and they messed their campaign from the beginning really up, it’s the third coach now involved in this campaign, they won in Rwanda, which was for them always a difficult opponent really.”
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“So they would come now with confidence and with all their power because they want to turn this campaign around but so do we. It will be an exciting game, we have to perform to our maximum for sure, we can expect a really tough opponent giving everything but we will also give everything,” he added.
Nees encouraged his players to rise to the challenge, embracing the unique conditions of the game: “They must accept the challenge, the climate, the pace, the conditions, they must accept the challenge and enjoy it. You mustn’t be afraid of anything, there’s no reason for it.”
He expressed his trust in his players’ abilities, urging them to remain focused and composed: “We can play football, we will analyze opponents, we will analyze our game, we will give instructions and they need to believe in themselves, they don’t need to be nervous of anything or whatsoever. They showed it already many times that they are very good players, very good characters and I’m really looking forward to this game, that will be a real football match that every player likes to play.”
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