Flying Eagles coach Aliyu Zubairu has revealed that the team is ready to make Nigeria proud at the U-20 Nations Cup in Egypt.
The team will take on Tunisia on Thursday in the first match of the tournament in Group B at the June 30 Stadium, Cairo.
Nigeria will battle it out with Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt for a place in the second round of the tournament.
Zubairu, who led the team to the WAFU B trophy has boasted that the team is ready to make Nigeria proud by qualifying for the U-20 World Cup.
The four semi-finalists will qualify for the U-20 FIFA World Cup in Chile later in the year.
He said: “We wouldn’t want to put too much pressure on the boys, that they must win the trophy. The first target now is to get the ticket to the World Cup,” Zubairu told NFF TV.
“When we get to the semi-final stage, we will sit them down again, and talk about winning the title, but our first target is the World Cup ticket.
“We are very much prepared, if you look at the journey, we started preparation from Abuja to Kastina, then Kastina back to Abuja. Now, we are in Egypt waiting for the first match which is against Tunisia, the boys are ready,” he added.
Both countries have met five times with Nigeria winning three, Tunisia can only boast of one victory, and the other encounter ended in a draw.
Zubairu said his players are ready to begin their Nations Cup campaign with a victory on Thursday.
He said: “There is no pressure from any angle. Our win over Tunisia two years ago is a big motivation, even though you don’t dwell too much in the past,” Zubairu stated.
“We beat them 4-0 in the third-place match then, but it’s going to be a different scenario now. They are two different teams even though they are representing the same country . I don’t see it a pressure, even though history can always play a role in motivating a team. So, it’s going to serve as a motivating factor for the team.”
The Flying Eagles will take on Tunisia on Thursday by 4 pm Nigerian time.
