Nigeria vs Benin: Rohr Worries About ‘Dangerous’ Super Eagles Under Eguavoen

• The Super Eagles of Nigeria are poised to kick off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign against the Republic of Benin
• The Nigeria men's team will be led by interim manager and national team technical adviser Augustine Eguavoen
• Benin Republic coach Gernot Rohr has expressed his concerns ahead of the crucial qualification fixture against the Super Eagles

The Nigeria senior men's football team kicks off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification campaign with a clash against the Republic of Benin.

This crucial fixture, which sees both sides meet for the second time in four months, is set to influence the qualification series for both teams as they seek a place in the tournament slated for Morocco.

However, ahead of the fixture, scheduled for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, discussions have continued about the Super Eagles' chances of success, especially considering the long-standing issue regarding the coaching situation.

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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), via a recent communiqué, had to resolve to appointing technical director Augustine Eguavoen as coach of the team, following the rather controversial departure of Bruno Labbadia from his role as coach of the Nigerian team.

Nonetheless, amid the palpable scepticism surrounding the appointment of Eguavoen, Benin Republic coach Gernot Rohr has expressed his concerns about facing the interim manager.

Rohr speaks on facing Super Eagles

Speaking in an interview reported by Nations Sport, the septuagenarian stressed that Eguavoen's appointment by the NFF could be a masterstroke, as he will approach the fixture with a mindset of correcting his mistakes from the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification series.

“I think Eguavoen knows them (the Super Eagles) better than a new coach,” Rohr said.

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Nigeria's Super Eagles suffer fresh blow ahead of 2025 AFCON qualifiers

“He surely must have learned from the two eliminations (for Qatar 2022 and AFCON 2021), and perhaps his team could be more dangerous to deal with.”

Nigeria suffered its first-ever defeat to the Benin Republic in their recent encounter in Abidjan.

The Super Eagles, entering this fixture with a sense of retribution, will be looking to secure victory in the clash slated for September 7.

Super Eagles hit with new setback

Legit.ng in another report detailed that the Super Eagles team has been hit with a fresh setback.

Ahead of their qualification games, fullback, Bright Osayi-Samuel, has suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out of the upcoming matches.

Source: Legit.ng