'Everyone knows what's at stake' - Super Eagles striker Onuachu expects a tough match against Angola 

Southampton-owned striker Paul Onuachu has predicted a tough match on Friday, February 2 when the Super Eagles take on dark horses Angola in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. 

A late inclusion in the Super Eagles final squad as a replacement for Umar Sadiq, Onuachu has been a bit-part player at the Africa Cup of Nations, having come off the bench in the closing minutes against Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

Angola, Nigeria's next opponents, have showcased their creativity at the ongoing tournament, scoring nine goals in four matches and were defensively solid in their last two games with back-to-back clean sheets against Burkina Faso and Namibia. 

The FC Ebedei product has underlined that the Super Eagles must be focused so that they can face Angola with the same level of determination with which they've played in the AFCON so far. 

"It's a game we have to take seriously like we've done with the previous games. There's no easy game here, no easy opponent, especially when it comes to facing Nigeria," Onuachu said to Hot Sports. 

"Every team wants to show that they can beat Nigeria especially the ones that believe they are underdogs, that's where we will get more difficulty.

"Everyone knows what's at stake and we all know how prepared we are to face Angola so it's going to be a tough game.

"My goal, the team's goal, country's goal is to return to Nigeria with the Cup."

If given minutes against Angola, Onuachu will be desperate to score his first goal in the Africa Cup of Nations after firing blanks in six career appearances in the competition. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Copyright ANS

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from allnigeriasoccer.com