Guinea’s coach, Juan Obiang, has boldly affirmed that his team is ready to face the Nigerian national team despite grappling with an injury crisis similar to their opponents’.
Ahead of their clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Obiang expresses confidence in fielding suitable replacements for key players missing from their Group A opening tie against Nigeria.
Nigerian stars Victor Boniface, Wilfred Ndidi, and Sadiq Umar withdrew from the 25-man squad just days before the AFCON tournament.
Despite acknowledging the Super Eagles’ formidable status, Obiang remains unfazed, emphasizing their preparedness for the match.
“We also have key players missing from our team. I know Nigeria is a big team. But if there are players missing, I feel there are replacements as well. So, this is not an issue for them. We are aware of their potential and Nigeria’s potential, and we also have our potential. There are key players who did not make it to Abidjan,” Obiang stated confidently during the pre-match press conference.
While Nigeria holds a historical advantage with three wins in previous encounters, Obiang anticipates a challenging match and emphasizes Guinea’s ambition to win the tournament.
He acknowledges Nigeria as favorites but asserts that his team has prepared to be at the highest level.
“We have an ambition in this tournament, we want to win the tournament. We are aware of what to do, we want to give our best. We have a complicated game tomorrow (today), Nigeria is among the favourites and we have prepared ourselves to be at the highest level. They have players missing and they have replacements, we’re aware of Nigeria’s potential and we have our potential. We have prepared for the game,” Obiang confidently added.
