Libya coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri has openly admitted that his team faces an uphill battle in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Uyo on Friday, conceding that victory on Nigerian soil is unlikely.
Both teams meet at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo in matchday four of the 2025 AFCON on Friday before travelling to Libya for the return leg at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benina next Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the crucial encounter, Al-Hadhiri acknowledged the formidable strength of the Nigerian team, which is packed with top-quality players, many of whom feature in Europe’s elite leagues.
“We are aware of the strength of the Nigeria national team. They are a very strong team in Africa. The Nigerian team is a very big thing in Africa, very known, and is a team sure of qualifying for the Nations Cup,” Al-Hadhiri stated.
He went on to describe Nigeria as one of Africa’s most dominant teams, stressing the gap in quality between the two sides.
“No team is very close to the Nigerian national team in Africa. They have very good players from Europe. We know the match here is going to be tough. We are playing against a very strong team in Africa.”
Despite conceding that Libya has little chance of securing a win in Uyo, Al-Hadhiri is not losing sight of the bigger picture. He remains focused on improving his team’s performance and sees the match in Libya as an opportunity to turn the tables.
“Our goal is to improve our game and try to get to the next level,” he said. “The most important thing is to see how we can pressure Nigeria. After four days, there won’t be the same game in Libya.”
Although a win in Nigeria seems out of reach, Al-Hadhiri is determined to correct mistakes and achieve a positive result when the teams meet again in the return leg.
“We know we don’t stand a chance of winning here in Nigeria, but we are going to make sure to correct our errors in Libya and have a very good result at home,” he concluded.