'Zimbabwe have a good team, players, coach' - Eric Chelle urges Super Eagles players to be focused

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has called on his players to remain fully focused as they get ready to face Zimbabwe's Warriors in a  2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

The pressure is on Nigeria ahead of their clash with Zimbabwe on Tuesday evening as a shock defeat combined with a South Africa victory over Benin could leave them trailing Bafana Bafana by seven points.

After three draws and one loss in their opening four matches in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles earned their first win last Friday, courtesy of Victor Osimhen's brace against Rwanda in Kigali.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Chelle emphasized that the upcoming game against Zimbabwe is now the most important task for his team.

"We need to be focused on the second game; it is the most important now. "I'm proud of what my players did in Rwanda — it was very difficult, but they did the job," Chelle told reporters. 

The Super Eagles boss revealed that the team had a productive training session on Sunday, and preparations are ongoing for what promises to be a tough encounter.

"We had a good training session yesterday, so we need to go to the pitch again to prepare for the game tomorrow," he said.

"It will not be easy because Zimbabwe have a good team, good players and a good coach."

Chelle also spoke highly of Zimbabwe’s head coach Michael Nees, praising his tactical approach and warning that Nigeria will need to stay sharp.

"This coach has a good game project, so we need to be focused on our team tomorrow," he added.

In their last seven encounters with the Warriors, the Super Eagles have remained undefeated, recording four victories and three draws.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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