CHAN: Ekpo advises Eagles

Super Eagles B in Pretoria, South Africa

Friday Ekpo has advised the Super Eagles to be wary of Niger when they meet in their first Group C match at the 2016 African Nations Championship on Monday.

The tournament, which is holding in Rwanda, began on Saturday. Tunisia and Guinea are the other teams in Nigeria’s group.

Niger played two friendly matches against Cameroon and Ethiopia ahead of the tournament. The Mena lost 1-0 to Cameroon but drew 1-1 against Ethiopia.

“Niger is not a small team but they should pose no problem for Nigeria,” former Akwa United coach Ekpo told our correspondent.

“The Eagles should not underrate them.They will be under no pressure to win the match because they are nowhere near Nigeria in the FIFA rankings.

“The Eagles should take it as if they are playing a big team to ensure that they get the points secured and relieve themselves of pressure in their remaining matches.

“A win in the first match will enable them to keep the tempo for the remaining two games in the group and press for the title.”

He added that the team needed a strong midfield to push for the title.

He said, “The midfielders have not been doing too well in the matches they played. They need a strong midfield to score goals and also keep the opponents at bay. If their midfielders work well, I see them playing in the final.”