Tijani Babangida: Former Eagles winger upbeat about Nigeria’s 2023 AFCON chances

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde 

Former Nigeria winger, Tijani Babangida says Nigerians should not be too anxious because the team has been pitted in pot 2 ahead of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) draw next month.

Pot 2 in which Super Eagles is with Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) means the three-time African champions can meet top teams.

In line to face Nigeria are host, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, or Egypt all in Pot 1 which Banagida is confident Nigeria can handle with the quality of players in the squad.

“We are Nigerians and of course always want to challenge in every competition and have to meet all the top teams before qualifying from the group stage,” Babangida told Brila FM.

“Meeting tough teams in the early stage is not good.

“I believe that with the team that we have now, we are good to go. We don’t have to be afraid of any team.”

The Super Eagles can also face South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, and Mauritania which are in Pot 3.

The 1980, 1994, and 2013 AFCON champions can in the same vein play Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, and Tanzania from Pot 4.

The draw for the tournament will take place on October 12, 2023, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s capital.