Without a win in their first four games of the series and languishing in fifth place in the six-team group C until Friday’s robust win over Rwanda in Kigali, Nigeria will seek a win against Zimbabwe, hoping to keep the flame alive.
Now with six points, Nigeria moved up to fourth position, while Zimbabwe, on three, is bottom of the table, and will seek to increase their haul in Tuesday’s encounter.
The Warriors’ 45-man contingent, led by the ZIFA Vice President, Kennedy Ndebele, landed at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, on Friday afternoon, 85 minutes after the arrival of the Super Eagles’ contingent from Kigali.
Eagles captain William Ekong knows the three-time African champions will need to replicate the performance in Rwanda in Kigali against Zimbabwe and then work hard to get the goals that will give them the three points to fully establish them as one of the contenders for the ticket.
“We are looking forward to a win. The three points are important to us. At this stage, we cannot afford to drop any more points. Our aim is to take it one match at a time, collect three points here and there, and hope fervently that these will be enough to get us the ticket.”
A win against Zimbabwe will push the Super Eagles’ points to nine points and put them back into contention for a 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket.
Meanwhile, Group C Leaders South Africa, on 10 points, square up to second-placed Benin Republic, on eight points, at the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan in a match starting simultaneously with that of Uyo.
Also, Lesotho, now in fifth position after a defeat to South Africa on Friday, will tackle Rwanda’s Amavubi at Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium in the last match of Group C.