Zimbabwe head coach, Michael Nees, has warned that Nigeria’s Super Eagles are a “wounded lion” ahead of their FIFA World Cup Qualification match, implying that they will be a formidable and dangerous opponent.
Zimbabwe’s prospects of advancing from Group C appear bleak, as they currently occupy the bottom spot with just two points from four matches, trailing South Africa who sit second by five points.
Like Zimbabwe, the Super Eagles have had a dismal qualifying campaign, managing only three points from four matches, and are now in danger of missing out on consecutive FIFA World Cup appearances.
Despite the Super Eagles’ struggles, Zimbabwe’s coach Michael Nees has cautioned that they should not be underestimated, describing them as “wounded lions” who will pose a significant threat when the two teams meet in March.
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In his words, “In our group, Nigeria is a wounded lion and therefore very dangerous. Their potential is definitely much better than their current position in the group. When you look at the players in Africa, definitely one of the top teams.”
Nees however stressed that his immediate attention is on the upcoming match against Benin, highlighting the need to prioritize the present task rather than getting distracted by the subsequent game against Nigeria.
“We must take it step by step. It is dangerous to be thinking of the second step ahead of the first. We have seen Benin are a very strong team. There’s no doubt about that. We are in no position to think about the opponent after Benin.”
He further stressed the need for a methodical approach, taking things one match and one training session at a time: “We have a challenge, and we take it step by step and match by match, and actually we must take it training to training, day by day. I think we’ll be well advised to approach it that way, because there’s so many variables in football.”
With Eric Chelle at the helm as the new Super Eagles head coach, Nigeria will be aiming to edge closer to a daunting goal – qualifying for the FIFA World Cup – as they prepare to face Rwanda and Zimbabwe in upcoming matches.
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