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Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, is brushing aside any talk of Nigeria being the favourites in their upcoming quarterfinal clash against Angola at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
This historic encounter will take place at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on February 2nd, marking the first-ever meeting between the two teams in AFCON history.
While Nigeria boasts a rich AFCON pedigree as three-time champions, they find themselves in the bookmakers' favour against an Angolan side that has never reached the last-four stage.
Pesiero believes both sides are equal
Peseiro is resolute in his conviction that, as the match approaches, both Nigeria and Angola stand on equal footing. He firmly believes that when the final whistle blows, the odds of victory are equally balanced for both teams.
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17:31 - 01.02.2024
Ex-Bafana Bafana captain Furman backs Nigeria as AFCON 2023 favorites over South Africa
Nigeria's Super Eagles and South Africa's Bafana Bafana made it to the quarterfinal of the AFCON 2023.
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14:52 - 01.02.2024
AFCON 2023: Angola in turmoil as star quits camp ahead of crunch tie vs Nigeria
The Palancas Negras of Angola face familiar foes in the Nigeria Super Eagles in the AFCON 2023 last eight on Friday.
When the favourite tag was suggested, he said as reported by Soccernet, "Ok, I believe in my team, we believe in our team... For me, tomorrow, you go there, start 0-0, you want to score, you want to suffer, you want to score goals, only that."
A second final
In an intriguing perspective, Peseiro regards this quarterfinal bout as Nigeria's second final in the tournament, with the Round-of-16 victory over Cameroon being the first. He emphasized his unwavering belief in his Super Eagles squad and their commitment to securing victory.
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"But this match is in the quarters. It is our second final; we played the first final before, the second final, we want to play the third final, and the fourth final, but for me, this match, specific match, all the match, 50% for each one, you must know, no favouritism, he reiterated.
As the 2023 AFCON unfolds, tournament favourites like Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, and Egypt have all been eliminated. Nigeria now assumes the highest-ranking position among the eight remaining teams, while Angola finds themselves as the competition's lowest-ranked side.
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