Michael Nees confident of Zimbabwe’s chances despite Nigeria’s star-studded attack

By Monsurah Olatunji

Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees has expressed optimism about his team’s chances of upsetting Nigeria in their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, despite praising the Super Eagles’ formidable attacking strength.

Currently sitting bottom of Group C with zero wins from five matches, Zimbabwe’s hopes of qualifying are slim, while Nigeria remains in contention with six points and fourth place in the group.

For the Warriors to keep their qualification dreams alive, they must secure a victory against Nigeria in Uyo. The Super Eagles come into the match off their first win of the campaign, a 2-0 victory over Rwanda, while Zimbabwe held Benin Republic to a 2-2 draw.

Speaking after the draw against Benin, Nees acknowledged the quality of Nigeria’s offensive players. “Nigeria in attack is definitely in the top five in the world,” Nees said. “When you look at the players they have at their disposal, it’s massive.”

However, he stressed that star names don’t automatically ensure top performance. “But sometimes the names don’t automatically make a big performance,” Nees added. “Nigeria has top-level players, but we cannot allow that to happen again. We must be there from the beginning of our game.”

Nees also pointed to defensive lapses in their match against Benin, stressing that his team cannot afford similar mistakes against Nigeria. “Our concentration must be there,” he said. “If you look at the goals against Benin, we were a bit too generous. We cannot afford to give away those kinds of chances again.”

The highly anticipated match between Nigeria and Zimbabwe is set to take place on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, with both teams vying for crucial points in the World Cup qualifiers.