Chelle Rallies Nigerians as NFF Unveils Super Eagles Squad for World Cup Playoffs

Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, has urged Nigerians to throw their full support behind the national team as they prepare for a crucial bid to reach next year’s World Cup through the African and inter-continental playoffs.

Nigeria will face Gabon in their opening fixture of the four-team African playoff on November 13 in Morocco. A win in that match will see the Super Eagles advance to the final stage against either DR Congo or Cameroon, who play on the same day. The overall winner of the African playoff will join five other teams in Mexico next year to battle for two available World Cup spots in the inter-continental playoff scheduled for the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Chelle admitted the road ahead will be tough but expressed confidence in his players’ quality.

We need total support from our fans because we play every match under pressure… I don’t have doubts about the quality of this team, but we must be focused and mentally ready and in a collective mindset.

On the clash against Gabon, the coach stressed its importance, adding, “If we win that game, we will aim for the second. The goal is to win the matches.” Chelle and his squad are expected to begin camping in Morocco on Sunday, with their first training session in Rabat on Monday.

Meanwhile, Gabon’s coach, Thierry Mouyouma, has admitted that handling Nigeria’s star striker, Victor Osimhen, will require a “special tactical approach.” Describing Osimhen as “unpredictable,” he said his team would “dissect, debate, and agree on a common defensive strategy” to contain the in-form forward, who scored six goals in just five World Cup qualifying matches.