Nigeria head coach Finidi George has warned Bafana Bafana that the Super Eagles will be a different beast compared to what South Africa met at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ahead of the two sides’ crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The continental rivals lock horns at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday at 21:00 (SA time).
The teams last met at the AFCON in Ivory Coast early this year where Nigeria finished as runners-up while Bafana took bronze.
Led by coach José Peseiro at the time, Nigeria defeated Bafana through the penalty shootout to proceed to the climax of the continental showpiece.
George, who has taken over the reins, admitted that the Hugo Broos-coached Bafana gave them a hard time at the AFCON, but insists Nigeria have evolved since then.
“I would say that Afcon is gone, and we all saw the game and we knew it was a difficult one but at the end of the day, we won it. That’s important,” George said.
“But this is a World Cup qualifier, and we are going to play differently in tomorrow’s (Friday) game. The Afcon is gone, and this will be a different ball game.
“We will see how it will all play out. I’m quite confident in our capacity and what we can do, I’m not worried at all.
“This is a World Cup qualifier, and we want to win and qualify for the next World Cup. We’ve got all hands on deck, and we will see how we can push tomorrow.”
Nigeria had a slow start to the qualifiers, playing draws against Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
They can’t afford to drop points against Bafana, who have won one match and lost the other if they are to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
“All the players are ready, and the training here went well,” George said.
Team on a mission #soarsupereagles pic.twitter.com/eRLv0eywDr
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) June 7, 2024
