Nigeria U-17 Vs South Africa U-17: Match Preview
Nigeria will face South Africa in a final group B clash at the 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations tournament. Here is a preview of the match.
MATCH DETAILS
Type of competition: Total Energies Africa U-17 Cup of Nations
Stage of competition: Group stage
Fixture: Nigeria U-17 Vs South Africa U-17
Date: Saturday May 6, 2023
Venue: Stade Mohamed Hamaloui, Constantine
Time: 8pm
HEAD TO HEAD
At U-17 level, Nigeria and South Africa have met just once. That was in 2015 when South Africa defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the Semi-final of the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations tournament.
ABOUT THE MATCH
After two group B matches apiece, Nigeria and South Africa are tied on 3-points and in desperate search for victory to seal automatic qualification for the quater-final.
Nigeria occupy second place in group B with a superior goal difference to the South Africans in 3rd place.
A draw in this game could well be enough for both teams to qualify for the knockout round (One as best loser). Even in defeat, both countries could still advance depending on the result of the other game between Zambia and Morocco.
In their last game, Nigeria were unlucky to suffer a 0-1 loss to Morocco despite a domineering performance in Constantine, while South Africa battled to a 3-2 victory over Zambia.
South Africa`s Micheal Dokunmu will relish the opportunity of facing his fatherland on Saturday evening. Born in South Africa to Nigerian parents, the youngster scored the winner in the win over Zambia.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
Coach Nduka Ugbade of Nigeria at the pre-match conference
“We have put the defeat against Morocco behind our backs and we are fully focused on getting a good result against South Africa. We didn’t deserve to lose against Morocco because we dominated the game but couldn’t convert our chances,”
“We want to be more effective, more prolific infront of goal. It is a bit confusing because when we were in Nigeria preparing, we were scoring so many goals but when we came here we are not doing that. Sometimes with these young ones it is about psychology and we have addressed that.”
“We want to convert the chances that come up for us because against Morocco we didn’t do that well. As a team and as players we are ready for the task,”
Coach Duncan Crowie of South Africa
“They played a very quality game in their last match and we know they will come in to this tie like a wounded animal. They can be a very dangerous team and there is always quality in that side. It will be a fantastic game. Despite losing that game, I still think they had a lot of quality that should not be ignored,”
“We want to concentrate on getting a result for ourselves and not having to depend on someone else. Our ultimate goal is to go into the match with an objective to win,” further noted the coach.
“We don’t care if Nigeria come spitting fire. We want our boys to spit more fire. Whoever wants it more will get it.”
SPORTSRATION SAYS
Despite losing to Morocco, Nigeria`s Golden Eaglets remain one of the favourites to at least reach the semi-final in Algeria. Expect a Nigeria win.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Predict the winner of the Nigeria vs South Africa match in the comment section.
