Posted in Features, News on Mar 22, 2022.
The record books are full of superlatives and the rivalry is an intense one, as Ghana and Nigeria get ready to clash in a 2022 FIFAWC qualifying play-off to see who will progress to Qatar, Chiefs keeper Daniel Akpeyi who is part of the Nigeria squad for the two game is confident that they get past the Black Stars and reach their seventh FIFAWC Finals.
With the teams meeting in a two-legged play-off for their 9th clash in FIFAWC qualifying the Chiefs keeper said of the upcoming games, “we have a crop of good players who are able to qualify for Nigeria to Qatar”.
Of the rivalry between the West African countries, he added, “Ghana is also a strong team, there has been a rivalry between the countries on many things. Football is a big part of this at the end of the day it is the team that prepares very well and gets ready to take their chances and defend as well. That is the team that will qualify.”
Akpeyi who was part of Nigeria’s squad at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon is further buoyed by the star quality of the Super Eagles team, “I believe in the quality of our squad at the moment fully. We will qualify.”
While Nigeria are the favourites going into this tie the Super Eagles have historically found the going tough against the Black Stars, “for me history does not really work for football. What works for football is the preparation for today, currently, we are doing well and we have been to the last three World Cups. This is not going to be any different. It is not going to be a walk in the park but we going to give our heart out there.”
Nigeria have also received a number of boosts with Odion Ighalo, Emmanuel Dennis and Napoli’s on form Victor Osimhen all available after missing the AFCON, while Ademola Lookman currently on loan at English Premier League Club Leicester has been cleared to feature for Nigeria.
He welcomes these additions given that Nigeria are missing the suspended Alex Iwobi“ it’s a good thing for the team, it’s good for the coach he now has options like Osimhen, Ighalo and Dennis from Watford, Lookman as well. These are strong players who can give us the result we desire at the end of the day.”
Akpeyi believes that these players will fill in the missing pieces, “we missed Ighalo and Osimhen during the AFCON they have been a strong force for us. Now that they are back, we hope everything plays out as we expect it and that we qualify.”
Nigeria’s bid to become the second African country after Cameroon to qualify for four FIFAWC tournaments in a row will start in the first leg at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi Ghana, on the 25th March. The second leg will happen on the 29th March at Abuja’s Moshood Abiola National Stadium, in the Nigerian capital.
