Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has sent a warning to his players not to be complacent ahead of their quarter-final match against Angola at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria and the Sable Black Antelopes will lock horns at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Friday with a semi-final spot at stake.
Jose Peseiro’s men have their sights on a fourth AFCON title in Ivory Coast while Angola are aiming to make history to play in the last-four stage for the first time in their history.
Angola who are playing on the AFCON stage for the first time since 2019, finished as Group D leaders ahead of Burkina Faso and Algeria, and they went on to thrash Namibia 3-0 in the round of 16.
Peseiro insists there are no small oppositions in Ivory Coast and he assured that his team will remain competitive in all of their games.
“I am telling them that we are only in the last-8, that we still have some way to go, and that the farther we go, the tougher the opposition becomes,” the Portuguese coach told the NFF media.
“We have played four matches and won three, so we must keep level heads as we go forward.
“Our philosophy is that there are no small teams here at the Africa Cup. Every team qualified to be here, and every team in the knockout phase qualified from a group phase. Any team in the last-8 is good enough for the trophy.
“We believe we are good enough for the trophy, but we must continue working and putting out our best on match days.”
