The Golden Eaglets have arrived in Niamey for their Africa U17 Cup of Nations qualifier against Junior Menas of Niger Republic, taking place on Saturday. Camped at the Royal Palace Hotel, the players have expressed confidence ahead of the crucial game.
"We are ready for the Nigeriens," captain Abduljabar Sani told thenff.com. "This is the first time most of us would travel out of the country and we don't want it to end on this our first trip; that means we must Insha Allah (by the grace of God) do everything to qualify for the next round." The Golden Eaglets have won the last four matches between the two countries in the last two years with the last being the 1-0 winner at the National Stadium in Abuja a fortnight ago, and the new lads are confident of extending Nigeria's grip on the Nigeriens.
"This match is important for our careers and what Governor Tambuwal told us before we left Sokoto is at the back of our minds. We are going to give the match our best shot," defender Solomon John said, matter-of-factly.
NFF board member, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa who arrived Niamey in the early hours of Friday from his base in Kano, told thenff.com that the Eaglets, as usual, would conquer their Nigerien counterparts. "First of all, we want to thank Almighty Allah for guiding all of us safely from Nigeria to Niamey for this important match against the U17 national team of Niger. Nigerians have confidence in the Eaglets and Insha Allah, they will qualify.”
The match coordination meeting holds 7pm on Friday with the match to kick off at 4pm on Saturday on the artificial turf of Stade Municipal de Niamey, where the Golden Eaglets' class of 2015 defeated Zambian 4-2 to seal their qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.