By Wale Mustapha
Head Coach of Nigeria’s U20 men’s national team, Aliyu Zubairu, has revealed plans to make tactical adjustments to his squad ahead of their crucial Group B encounter against Morocco in the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Flying Eagles, seven-time champions of the competition, will face Morocco’s Atlas Lions on Sunday in their second group-stage match at the June 30 Stadium in Cairo, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
Following a narrow 1-0 win over Tunisia in their tournament opener on Thursday, Zubairu acknowledged the need for improvement and hinted at possible changes to the starting XI to better suit the tactical demands of the upcoming clash.
“Possibly, there might be one or two changes in the lineup,” Zubairu said during a pre-match briefing.
“Definitely, there is going to be much improvement in our game, considering the fact that the last match was the first match of the tournament and the tension of the unforeseen will always be there.”
Zubairu praised his team’s overall performance in the opening match but emphasized the importance of refining their approach to handle Morocco’s more structured and physical style of play.
With both teams aiming to secure early qualification to the quarterfinals, Sunday’s fixture is expected to be a tightly contested encounter.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
