Super Eagles B Chief Coach, Salisu Yusuf, has assured Nigerians that the home-based national team will, on Saturday in Abuja, do everything possible to overturn the 0-2 deficit they incurred in the first leg of their Algeria 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier in Cape Coast.
Nigeria lost the first leg of the CHAN qualifier to Ghana on Sunday and will meet the same team for the deciding tie in Abuja on Saturday.
The winner of the tie over two legs will qualify for next year’s championship billed for Algeria.
The Super Eagles B team returned to Abuja on Monday and began preparations for the return leg yesterday.
They had a recovery walkout in the morning and began major training at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in the evening.
Speaking on his expectations of the decisive encounter yesterday, Coach Yusuf said his boys were primed to redeem themselves in Abuja after studying the first leg and acknowledging their mistakes in Cape Coast.
The coach said the players would not have lost the game in Ghana if they had not lost concentration at crucial moments of the game.
“After the game, I told the players they worked hard and the Ghanaians did not outplay them, but they made some mistakes, which Ghana capitalised on.
“I still believe the team can beat the Ghanaians if they worked harder than they did in the first leg,” Yusuf said.
He said all the players, except Enyimba’s Sadiq Abubakar, are in top shape, adding that he will still assess the state of the squad to know the right way forward.
“The doctors will assess Sadiq to see if he can play in the next game, but we will also look at other options and work out a strategy that will give us victory.
“The only assurance we will give Nigerians is that we are going to work hard to get the victory.”
“You see, we trained for only two weeks and put up a good fight in Ghana. So, I am assuring Nigerians that now that we know the team better, the result will be different. But the assurance is in the field when we have done it,” he said.
