Nigeria will search for a triumphant beginning to their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations capability crusade when they have Sierra Leone at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on the afternoon of Thursday.
Nigeria, who have missed three (2012, 2015 and 2017) of the last six Afcon competitions, come into this match a lot of on a low ebb.
Besides the fact that they exitted the 2021 Afcon in Cameroon in the round of 16 recently, they additionally passed up capability for the 2022 World Cup (because of chief adversaries Ghana) and have experienced consecutive cordial losses to Mexico and Ecuador in the United States starting from the beginning of the month.
Regardless of these most recent difficulties under new coach Jose Peseiro, the Super Eagles' players are sure that they are opening a strong new section, which will receive benefits in the starters for the 2023 Nations Cup.
"We've had two games under the new administrator and this will help us in our impending qualifiers," chief William Troost-Ekong made sense of. "At the point when you point toward the South American groups the styles are clearly unique and the group is intellectually and truly tried in an extremely hard manner. We can all meet up for a superior part for the country."
Sierra Leone, who got back to the Afcon without precedent for over twenty years sooner this year, will focus consecutive appearances at the mainland finals.
The Leone Stars crushed both Liberia and Congo in international friendlies back in March, with coach John Keister setting his confidence generally in similar players which performed responsibility at the Afcon in Cameroon and raising previous Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool defender Steven Caulker to the place of skipper.
"It would be troublesome yet I'm eager to begin these qualifiers, we have a ton of new ability, new players, another framework and another personality. I'm really happy to have the option to lead this gathering in qualifying," said Caulker.
"Our passing gathering will be extreme, clearly Nigeria will be hoping to return from their mistake following their disposal to Ghana in the 2022 World Cup.
"We must be at our best for each game and against Nigeria is a chance to put Sierra Leone on the world football map.
"I'm certain as we did in the last Afcon, we must be at our best for all games, not simply against Nigeria, we ought to go into each game with the desire to win it."
In straight on terms, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have met in 16 past matches, going back similarly as 1961. The Super Eagles have guaranteed nine successes contrasted with two for the Leone Stars, while five games have been drawn.
The groups last met in the qualifiers for the 2021 Afcon, playing to 4-4 and 0-0 draws four days separated in November 2020, with the matches held in Benin City and Freetown separately.
Ivorian ref Ibrahim Kalilou Traore will assume responsibility for the game in Abuja. The other Group A Matchday 1 installation happens prior on Thursday 9 June and sees Guinea-Bissau 'have' Mauritius in Marrakesh, Morocco.
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