Nigeria U-17 head coach, Nduka Ugbade has expressed his confidence in his team as they aim to win a record three titles at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Algeria in August.
On Wednesday, the Golden Eaglets were drawn in Group B with Morocco, South Africa, and West African rivals Burkina Faso.
While reacting to the pairing, coach Ugbade highlighted the strengths of the teams in the competition but reiterated the Golden Eaglets’ commitment to compete and win the trophy.
“It’s quite an interesting group…I know how good North African teams are, and Morocco is not exempt. The young team saw what their senior mates did in Qatar, and they will be quite motivated to bring their best,” he said.
“Also, South African football has exploded into a reputable brand in recent times. Zambia also has the reputation of being a good football country, but we are favourites; we are not just looking at the group; we want to go beyond that. So, we have to start by winning our group and then take it game by game.”
The former Nigerian international revealed his team’s expectations as they continue preparation for the continental competition.
“We want to qualify for the World Cup, but we have countries like host nation Algeria, Mali, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso to contend with. They are very strong sides too, and we know Burkina Faso well because we played them in the WAFCON finals…so we will like to give our best and go as far as possible.”
“Like I said earlier, we are not going there to just participate; we are there to compete. We’ve won it twice, and we’ve won the World Cup five times, so we’re not considered underdogs going into the tournament. We are all there to compete at the highest level,” he concluded.
Although the calendar for the fixtures is yet to be finalised, the Eaglets will play all their group matches at the 23-000 capacity Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constatine.
The tournament will run from April 29 to May 19, with the last four teams guaranteed a spot at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru later this year.
All matches in the competition will be broadcast live on Afrosport TV.
