Head coach of Nigeria U-23 national team, Salisu Yusuf is optimistic that the Olympic Eagles will get a good result against their Guinean counterparts on Wednesday when they battle in the first leg of their 2023 U-23 AFCON qualifying fixture at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja.
The 2023 AFCON in Morocco will also serve as the African qualifiers for the men’s football event of Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Salisu says that he has a team that can beat Guinea over the two legs to qualify for the 2023 U-23 AFCON in Morocco, adding that winning the first leg in Abuja will serve as the springboard to make the return leg a formality.
“Though our preparation for this game did not go the way we wanted it, I believe we have done enough to get us a result,” Yusuf told Completesports.com.
“We have tried to replace dropped players with some players from foreign leagues and I believe they will click and deliver on Wednesday
“As of Sunday evening, eight of the invited overseas-based players have reported to the team’s camp and we have begun the process of bonding and blending them with players from the domestic league. I think they will come good and get a good result,” the former assistant coach of the Super Eagles started.
Asked how much he knows about the Guineans, Yusuf says he has not seen them play but that he knows that all the teams from Guinea are skilful and difficult to break down.
“We shall find a way to beat them to their game and win here in Abuja,” Yusuf said.
We want to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after missing out on the last edition, and the first step is to ensure that we make it to the AFCON in Morocco later this year. Nigerians should support and pray for us to achieve our target.”
