Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has hinted that the overconfidence exuded by Bafana Bafana of South Africa will be the cause of their failure when they face Nigeria in their last 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in Uyo on Wednesday.
South Africa are top of Group A with 11 points ahead of Nigeria who have seven points, same as Congo, who are third in the group.
Bafana Bafana have never beaten the Eagles in any competitive game but Wednesday’s encounter will create the perfect platform for the South Africans to stand up to their hosts. They will remain top of the group whether they win or lose.
Chukwu, who described last Saturday’s game in Pointe Noire as one of Eagles’ best in recent times, said the psychological edge perceived by the South Africans may work in two ways for the visitors.
“There are two ways to look at it: it can either boost their courage or cause their downfall. They have nothing to lose, so they might play with the determination to beat Nigeria for the first time on our soil,” Chukwu told our correspondent on the telephone on Monday.
“The confidence might become too much for them to manage and distort their game plan. Whichever way, the onus is on the Super Eagles to play like they did against Congo and get the result we want.”
The 1980 Nations Cup winner noted that the return of striker Ikechukwu Uche added flair to the Eagles attack in their last match, saying it was as if he never left the team.
“They all played well in that game but you could see that there was an increased sense of urgency in the team with the way Uche played. He did not even allow the past to bother him when he stepped forward to take the penalty; not many players can have such confidence,” he said.
Chukwu added that coach Stephen Keshi may just have silenced his critics with the vital victory away from home, but advised that the team needed to improve on their cohesion.
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