Portuguese Coach Jose Peseiro is dreaming big with Nigeria as the former Venezuela gaffer has backed Nigeria to win a fourth Africa Cup of Nations, but he admitted that it would be a real challenge when action gets under way in Cote d’Ivoire later this month.
The last of Nigeria’s three continental titles came 10 years ago in South Africa.
“We will fight to win the Africa Cup even though it won’t be easy,” an ambitious Peseiro said.
“Our group is not easy because we are up against Ivory Coast, who have a good squad and are playing at home. Equatorial Guinea reached the quarter-final at the last AFCON, better than Nigeria, while Guinea Bissau beat us at home (in the qualifiers). We have to be at our best in our training and in our matches.”
The Portuguese coach said that more than 70 players had been monitored as he whittled that number down for the final squad.
“It was not easy to choose the 25 players,” he said.
The Nigeria squad assembles in Abu Dhabi for a training camp before flying out to Cote d’Ivoire.
They open their campaign on January 14 against Equatorial Guinea in Abidjan