CHAN preview: Eagles seek redemption in tricky test against unpredictable Libya

By annihilating Equatorial Guinea 3-0 in the Group C opener, Libya confirmed they mean business in the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN). 

Nigeria, on the other hand, surprisingly drew goalless with Rwanda on Monday night. Despite creating the better chances and dominating large periods of the game, the CHAN Eagles were wasteful and thrice hit the woodwork.

Must win for CHAN Eagles 

Yusuf Salisu’s men go into this match knowing they have to win to stand a good chance of progressing. There is no doubt Nigeria have a talented squad and they showed glimpses of how good they can be versus Rwanda, but they need to learn to be more clinical.

Rabiu Ali, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Austine Oladapo, Emeka Ogbugh, Sunday Falaye, Anthony Okpotu, Moses Eneji and Nura Mohammed will be crucial for the Eagles.

Libya will be looking for an early goal to strike the Nigerians a psychological blow, which means the CHAN Eagles must compete mentally as well as physically.

Dipping into their mental reservoir as well as showing good composure in front of goal will be crucial if Nigeria are to come out with anything in this showdown.

Libya: Slight favourites

The Libyan side, apart from its abundance of creativity, is quite physical and strong, especially in the final third.

Omar El Maryami’s plethora of dangerous attacking options will give Libya the edge in this game.

Nigeria are not the type of team to sit back so there will be spaces for the likes of Mohamed Aleyat and Abdulrahman Khalifa to exploit, and Maryami will opt to start with a back four, adding stability and balance to his defence.

Although the Nigerians are superior in size and strength, the Libyans are pacy, especially with the likes of Zakaria Alharash and Saleh Taher in attack.

The Mediterranean Knights have the ability to play in small spaces and exploit defences with quick, intricate passing.

What they said 

Omar El Maryami (Head coach, Libya)

“We’ve had a very good start to the competition. It’s was important to win the first match. I would like to thank the local fans who supported us throughout the match against Equatorial Guinea. They motivated our players, who like such atmospheres in the stands. The match against Nigeria will be very difficult because Nigeria is a big name in African football.

“This is a very important game for us because victory will seal our qualification. We won the CHAN in 2014 and we want to replicate that performance. I have an idea about this Nigerian team after their first match against Rwanda. I even know some players like Anthony Okpotu, who had a stint with Libyan side, Al Ittihad. The players are ready, focused on the game and want to win.”

Mohamed Nashnush (Captain, Libya)

“Our objective against Nigeria is the three points. Our first goal – winning the opening match has already been achieved. It will be more difficult because we are going to have a stronger opponent compared to Equatorial Guinea.

“We will approach all the games with the same state of mind and objective. We also want to stay in Tangiers for the quarter-final to avoid a trip to another venue. I don’t know much about this Nigerian team.

Salisu Yusuf (Head Coach, Nigeria)

“We drew against Rwanda and I think that’s not a bad result. We played well in that game but luck was not on our side. We missed a lot of goal scoring chances. We have to win against Libya to regain our confidence. And for that, we must dare and create opportunities to score. Given our performance against Rwanda, I am optimistic we can beat this Libyan team.”

Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Captain, Nigeria)

“We are focused on the match. We are aiming for victory to have a better chance of qualifying to the next round. We are here in Morocco representing the 180 million Nigerians, we will try to do our best to honour them and make them happy. We have forgotten about the draw against Rwanda and we feel no pressure. I can even assure you that we have adapted to the weather conditions. It’s not a problem anymore.”

Pre-match statistics

• The last meeting between both sides was an international friendly in 2005, with Nigeria winning 1-0.
• Victory would guarantee Libya a place in the quarter-final.
• Nigeria need at least a point to stand any chance of qualifying but realistically a win would be ideal to boost the Eagles’ chances of proceeding to the next round.