'The team has Osimhen, Lookman, Simon' - Cameroon legend insists Super Eagles have edge over Leopards

Cameroon legdn Joseph-Antoine Bell believes the Super Eagles hold a slight advantage going into Sunday's decisive encounter against DR Congo in Rabat, where a place in the intercontinental playoffs will be at stake.

Bell highlighted Nigeria's attacking power as one of the major reasons he considers them favourites. 

"Let's say that for me, Nigeria is a slight favorite. I say this because this team obviously has impressive attacking potential with Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman or Moses Simon, but it exudes real power, and defensively, it is solid," Bell told Africa Foot. 

Nigeria enter the contest after a 4-1 victory over Gabon in the semi-finals on Thursday, a game that required extra time before the Super Eagles sealed qualification to the final. 

Bell dismissed concerns that the extended minutes might take a toll on the players. 

"It won't have any effect. The players have had time to recover," he insisted.

The former Saint-Étienne goalkeeper also predicted a tightly contested match with limited scoring opportunities. 

"I don’t know if there will be many goals in this match, but I think the team that wins will do so with a narrow lead."

Sunday's clash is pivotal in the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The winner will move closer to a ticket at the global showpiece, although an additional hurdle remains in March 2026. 

The victor in Rabat still needs to compete in the intercontinental playoffs scheduled to take place in Mexico.

FIFA's revised seeding format hands top-ranked African nations a valuable edge, allowing them to skip the early playoff hurdles and move closer to World Cup qualification.

For now, only Bolivia and New Caledonia are confirmed among the teams set to participate in the playoffs. 

They await the inclusion of DR Congo or Nigeria, Iraq or the United Arab Emirates, as well as two nations from CONCACAF.

Wale Adejumo

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