Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong says the team is determined to pick all the three points against Benin Republic in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Thursday to seal the ticket to the finals.
The game will take place at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Benin have adopted as their home ground.
But it is much more than such to Nigeria who lost the final of the 2023 AFCON to the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire back in February at the venue, where they recorded some intriguing victories in the run to the final.
Nigeria go into the game on top of Group D with 10 points from four matches. A draw could still be a fair result for the Eagles, as it would be enough to pick one of the two slots in the group.
However, a win would without doubt cap an impressive campiagn so far. The Austin Eguavoen-led side are unbeaten in the qualifiers and particularly against the Cheetahs, they would hope to maintain their unbeaten run against them in AFCON qualifiers and further extend their overall record to seven games without a defeat.
Benin shocked Nigeria in June, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a 2-1 triumph, with the Al-Kholood defender not in the squad under former Nigerian coach, Finidi George.
But Troost-Ekong who would be making his 75th appearance for the Eagles in the game, said he and his teammates have faced Benin in recent times and are aware of how good they are.
“The last game we played against Benin was in October if I’m correct, we won at home. We know Benin is a good team, Gernot Rohr was my national team coach for over five years.
“He knows the team very well, we’ve played against Benin several times, so this is going to be a difficult game,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
“But I think here at this Stadium where we have some amazing memories from earlier this year, we will be very ready, we feel at home here in Abidjan, yea.
“I’m confident that we can do the job by winning tomorrow ( Thursday).and that is what we are going out to do, but we know it is going to be a difficult game.
“So, we have to be at our best. What I’ve seen so far in training and the spirit in the camp has so far been amazing, though.”
