AFCON 2027 Race: Chelle Charges Players To Chase Outright Wins
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria head coach, Éric Chelle has challenged his side to chase wins in their Africa Cup Of Nations AFCON qualifiers starting with the double header against Madagascar on Friday in Uyo and Guinea Bissau in Morocco on Tuesday, September 29.
Chelle backed his players to be aggressive from the first game in Uyo while approaching the remaining matches with the same mentality.
He urges the team not to remove their foot from the pedal in other matches in order to avoid the scenario of missing out on the 2026 World Cup.
“We have to show everyone from Day One that we want it, and the only way to do that is to go for it with our hearts, and refuse to slow down at any point. We must go for the points without any hesitation,” Chelle said.
The Frenchman is determined to prevent the kind of uncertainty that unsettled Nigeria’s World Cup path despite a late recovery. A six-point start against the Barea and the Wild Dogs would provide the foundation he seeks.
Chelle welcomes back defender Ola Aina and versatile youngster Benjamin Fredricks, while forward Taiwo Awoniyi steps in amid Victor Osimhen’s absence. The coach also faces aselection dilemma in goal, with Maduka Okoye and Stanley Nwabali both fully fit and competing for the starting spot.
Defensively, Chelle has a deep pool that includes Bruno Onyemaechi, Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Turkey-based Chibuike Nwaiwu. In attack, Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Akor Adams and newcomer George Ilhenikena are all in strong form.
Friday’s meeting with Madagascar will revive memories of past encounters. Nigeria defeated the Barea 2-0 in Calabar at the same stage of the 2010 AFCON qualifiers and repeated the scoreline in the reverse fixture the following year. Madagascar, however, produced a famous 2-0 upset in the 2019 AFCON group stage in Alexandria after Nigeria had already secured progression.
