World Cup play-off: Eguavoen targets double win over Ghana

Nigerian head coach Augustine Eguavoen has made it known that they will be looking to beat Ghana both home and away, next month.

The two West African giants will meet in the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, with Ghana scheduled to host Nigeria in the first-leg clash on March 25.

The second-leg encounter is set to be played in Nigeria on March 29 and the winner on aggregate will book their spot in the finals which will be hosted by Qatar later this year.

“There is no doubt in my mind. I am a Nigerian, a full-blooded Nigerian, and if you asked me such a question, I think, without missing words, we deserve a place at the World Cup,” Eguavoen said.

The former Nigeria international did indicate that it won’t be easy against the Black Stars, who have a new coach in Otto Addo.

“It’s going to be a very tough game and a tight one as well. We have a lot of mutual respect for one another, and when Ghana plays Nigeria and Nigeria plays Ghana, it’s always tough, it’s always tight,” he added.

“But you see, it’s going to boil down to us trying to go there (Ghana). We will play everything we can to try to win the game, in fact, both games.

“But with no disrespect, because Ghana is a very strong side, individually and collectively. We will just go and fight and try to win the game.”

The last competitive match between Ghana and Nigeria was in January 2010, where the Black Stars edged out the Super Eagles 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final game in Angola. – africanfootball.com.