Idris Adesina
Nigeria’s rivalry with Zambia will be rekindled again on Sunday as they battle for a place at the Russia 2018 World Cup.
The two countries will meet twice, the first of which will be in Ndola, in the race for the lone World Cup spot in Group B along with two other former African champions – Cameroon and Algeria.
Former internationals have said the Eagles need to get a win over the Zambians to kick start their chances of appearing in Russia for the 2018 World Cup.
Former Inter Milan defender, Taribo West, said the Eagles need to be wary of the Chipolopolo because they are quite unpredictable.
He said, “The current Zambian team are capable of throwing up surprises against any team. I saw them in their last match against Kenya, where they played a draw. They can cause an upset against Nigeria if the Eagles are not careful.
“History favours us against them but that will not come to the party on Sunday. The Eagles should forget that the Zambian team is in crisis at the moment. What they should focus on is the victory needed to begin their qualifiers.
“The Eagles will be playing against the Zambian team and their supporters on Sunday. Being a home match, the supporters will want to intimidate Nigeria into losing but I believe that with the experience of Ahmed Musa and captain Mikel Obi, Nigeria should get a victory.”
Atlanta 1996 gold medallist, Joseph Dosu, believes the match is the first major test for Gernot Rohr.
“The first match with Rohr in charge – the 1-0 victory against Tanzania in September – was more of a friendly match. But if a win is not possible in Ndola, a draw will also be a manageable result but it will put undue pressure on them going into the other matches,” he said.
“We have beaten them more than they have beaten us. But I don’t believe in history because every team in that group wants to be at the World Cup. We should not judge them with their current form because against Nigeria, any team will put in their best just to have it on record that they defeated us. That is the importance of the name.”
Dosu added that the Eagles attackers will need to work hard to win the match.
He said, “The calibre of players called up are doing well for their various clubs and that should rub off on the national team. The Eagles should not sit back and soak pressure but attack and convert their chances.”
However, Etim Esin, believes the team’s youngsters have a big role to play on Sunday.
“If (Kelechi) Iheanacho, (Alex) Iwobi and Moses Simon start the match, Nigeria is sure of a victory. These are young players who have not been to the World Cup. The hunger to play at the biggest stage of their careers will drive them through the qualifiers to earn Nigeria a place in Russia,” he said.
“If the coach fails to do that, we may struggle against the Zambians and that will not be good for the confidence of the team going into the other matches. For the Eagles to qualify, they have to pick points both home and away. They shouldn’t care about where the ground is because that is the way champions play.”
And 2000 AFCON silver medallist, Ike Shorunmu, the injury to some of the invited players, who were replaced, will not affect the balance of the team as the new players were capable replacements.
He said, “The injury to Victor Moses, Success Isaac and Leon Balogun could have affected them if there were no other players to replace them. The local players called up to replace the injured trio are just through with their league season and will provide the coach with viable attacking options for the match.
“Zambia are always a stubborn side for Nigeria and Sunday’s match will not be an exception. The coach should start the best of his players because qualification for the World Cup is important given that the country didn’t qualify for two consecutive editions of the AFCON.”
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
The post Zambia v Nigeria: What ex-internationals are saying appeared first on Punch Newspapers.