Nigeria defender Kenneth Omeruo says he does not expect the Super Eagles’ 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone to be an easy one as both teams prepare to face off at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia on Sunday.
The penultimate qualifier could see the Eagles book their spot in next year’s finals in the Ivory Coast if they get all three points.
The Leone Stars could however keep their qualification hopes alive if they defeat Nigeria, reversing the 2-1 loss they suffered at the Abuja National Stadium last June.
“Of course, I am not expecting it to be an easy game because they [Sierra Leone] want to win and want to still have hope of qualification but we are going there with the ambition to win the game and seal our qualification,” Omeruo told Afrosport.
The Super Eagles lost to Guinea-Bissau previously in a doubleheader in Abuja before going on to win them in Bissau. When asked by Afrosport what lesson the team can learn from that encounter, Omeruo said: “To stay focused. The game [Guinea-Bissau] is in the past. We lost at home but won away and were top of the group as well so I think we are in a good position just to go there [Monrovia] and win.”
When quizzed on his motivation level for the game, Omeruo stated: “I’m ready to play if chosen. At the end of the day, it is a team and a team we have to go there [Monrovia] with one mind, hoping to win the game.”
Omeruo currently plies his trade with Leganes in the Spanish Segunda Division and has been capped 60 times for Nigeria, winning the AFCON title in 2013 in South Africa.
Since making his international debut in 2013, the former Chelsea man has played at three AFCON tournaments (2013, 2019, 2021), two FIFA World Cups (2014 and 2018) and the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup.
