As the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off today in Cameroon, many Nigerians would begin to think of whether the Super Eagles are good enough to win the title.
Even with three AFCON titles under the belt -1980, 1994 and 2013, African football analysts begin to wonder when will Nigeria rule Africa again?
To some pundits, the Super Eagles to the 2021 AFCON are a depleted side given the absence of key players like Napoli star, Victor Osimhen; Genk goal merchant, Paul Onuachu, Watford star Emmanuel Dennis and Al Shabab striker Odion Ighalo who returned to international football last December under sacked manager Gernot Rohr, after over two years of absence.
The absence of Glasgow Rangers defender, Leon Balogun, is also believed to be a minus for the Super Eagles in their bid to reclaim the AFCON title which they last won in South Africa about nine years ago.
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However, the presence of Kelechi Iheanacho who missed the 2019 AFCON remains a boost for the Eguavoen-side likewise his Leicester City teammate, Wilfred Ndidi and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, who scored against CotonSport in a friendly on Sunday alongside captain, Ahmed Musa.
Nigeria’s preparation for Cameroon 2021 gave many Nigerians sleepless nights as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) last month brought in Austin Eguavoen as interim coach after German Rohr was fired.
Many stakeholders described the change in the technical crew as ill-timed but Eguavoen believes the task before him is surmountable.
The Super Eagles on Friday in Garoua pipped CotonSport 2-0 in a friendly ahead of their AFCON campaign opener on Tuesday against the Pharaohs of Egypt at the Roumde Adjia Stadium.
To some soccer buffs, that the Super Eagles only played one friendly before the AFCON proper remains a source of worry, moreso that some of the regulars are missing this time.
Also, two players, Tyronne Ebuehi and Jamilu Collins, could not travel with the team to Cameroon last Wednesday owing to club engagements while it’s still doubtful if Ighalo already registered for the 2021 AFCON will eventually be released by Al Shabab. Benfica’s Ebuehi only joined the team on Saturday while SC Paderborn’s Collins is expected to arrive in the camp today or Monday.
Of the 28 players registered for the tournament, half of them were part of the 2019 squad which won the bronze in Egypt as analysts see this figure as encouraging as it enhances team work as a result of continuity.
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However, despite the seemingly poor rating of the Super Eagles in the FIFA rankings, fifth on the continent and 36th in the world; an analysis released last week still rated Nigeria [with 14.79 per cent] as the first team that can win the 2021 AFCON as Morocco follow with 14.77 per cent while Egypt with 12.93 per cent come next even ahead of Senegal who remain best team in Africa for sometime now as the Teranga Lions were allotted 12. 23 per cent.
On paper, other favourites for Cameroon 2021 are title holders Algeria, hosts Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia as Ghana and Mali also made the top 10 likely winners ahead of the biennial showpiece.
Ex-international, Austin Okocha, believes Nigeria can excel at Cameroon 2021.
“The Super Eagles are loaded with top stars, and we have players who can cage [Mohamed] Salah, even if it means deploying two players to mark him out. The first match matters a lot for Nigeria,” Okocha, 1994 AFCON winner said.
To former international Garba Lawal, the Super Eagles need divine favour to shine in Cameroon.
“I believe the team needs real luck at the moment. The environment is already new, and I believe they’ve been talking to themselves on how they are going to do, we know that we messed up before, but there’s no second chance. Let’s just go 100 per cent and try to achieve what we are looking for.
“It just depends on the players and the luck that they have in the tournament. You must have that luck, when you touch the ball, it will go in, that is all you need.
“Once you win games, the more you win, the more the confidence, individually and collectively, as a team, as a player,” the Atlanta ’96 Olympics gold medallist told NFF TV.