Head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, Sunday Oliseh, says Nigeria must beat Tanzania in Dar es Salam next month to retain hopes of making the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The Super Eagles are tied on three points with Egypt but trail the Group G leaders on goal difference, after their opening 2-0 win over Chad in July. Egypt saw off Tanzania 3-0 in Cairo.
Only group winners are eligible for a slot at the 2017 finals slated for Gabon.
“The match in Dar es Salaam is very, very crucial, not only because it will be my first match as head coach, but also because we have no choice than to win. The three points are important for us to keep up the tempo in our group,” said Oliseh.
“We are on the same three points with Egypt, though they have scored a goal more. That is why we cannot afford any slip along the way.
“We will deal first with the match in Tanzania, and then we will start thinking about the CHAN qualifiers with Burkina Faso in October, and then the World Cup qualifying fixture in November (against Zanzibar or Djibouti).
“There is a lot of work. After these matches, we will now start working towards the two AFCON qualifying matches we have with the Pharaohs (of Egypt) in March next year.”
The Eagles failed to qualify for the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea.
