The Flying Eagles and the Satellites of Ghana will clash in their opening group B game in this year’s WAFU B U20 Championships which begins in the Ivorian city of Yamoussoukro today, Monday.
VDCInsights reports that the clash is like a repeat of 2024 edition in Togo which the Flying Eagles won 2-1 to retain the title they had won in Niamey in 2022, with both goals coming from Kparobo Arierhi, who also won Man-of-the-Match.
While Coach Isa Ladan Bosso led the squad that triumphed in Niamey, Aliyu Zubairu was the chief strategist of the Class of 2024 that successfully retained the trophy in Lome.
Today, Monday, Coach Abdu Maikaba, a former assistant coach of the team, commences his competitive odyssey as the team’s lead strategist in the big clash with the feisty West African neighbours.
His one-liner underscores his confidence in the work he has done with the squad and leaves no one in doubt of his mission in Cote d’Ivoire.
Maikaba said “We are going for an outright victory against Ghana because our objective is to retain the trophy and we have to start winning our matches from Day One,”
The match kicks off at 2pm Cote d’Ivoire time (3pm Nigeria time) at the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro.
Ahead of Monday’s battle, Maikaba’s charges edged Athletique Club de Zenuola 2-1 in a friendly match on Thursday.
The rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana on the football field dates back to 1951, and has produced a number of memorable encounters across the senior, intermediate, junior and academicals’ levels in both men and women categories.
Victory on Monday will stand seven-time African champions Nigeria in good stead for a semi final spot, with confrontations against Togo and Burkina Faso to come in the four-team Group B.
Matchday 2 on 30th July will see the seven-time African champions trade tackles with the Sparrow Hawks of Togo at the same Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro. The game is scheduled to get underway at 2pm local time (3pm Nigeria time).
The Cup-holders will wrap up their group B matches against Young Stallions of Burkina Faso on the 2nd August also at the Lycée Scientifique with kick-off time scheduled for 2pm local time (3pm Nigeria time).
Hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Benin Republic and Niger Republic make up Group A.
PHOTO: The Flying Eagles at their training in Yamoussoukro on Sunday.
