2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Kenneth Omeruo, has said that the Super Eagles have little or no time for confabulation and will prefer to do the talking on the turf of the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny against Angola in the quarter-final of the 34th edition in Abidjan on Friday.
The experienced defender came in to help stabilise the rearguard in the closing stages of Saturday’s Round of 16 defeat of five-time champions Cameroon at the same venue and is confident that the Palancas Negraswill bite the dust by the final blast of the referee’s whistle.
“We do not need to go into back-and-forth chatter with any team. The Super Eagles are in Cote d’Ivoire for serious business. We have not played Angola for a long time but I remember we played them in 2012 in a friendly and it ended in a draw. I have also read of how previous encounters between the two countries have been quite close.
“There is no possibility of Friday’s match ending in a draw,” concludes Omeruo.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s new number one goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, may still be available for selection for the quarter-final duel with Palancas Negras of Angola if he passes a late fitness test set for today.
He was involved a light training with the rest of the team yesterday as Super Eagles continue putting finishing touches to game-plan to go past the Angolans.
According to team medics, the 27-year-old copped a mild ligament injury during the Round of 16 battle with the Indomitable Lions on Saturday, and the doctors have been working on him to see if he will come good in a late fitness test 48 hours before the cracker with the southern Africans.
“Fingers crossed. If all goes well, he might be available for selection.”
The Chippa United goal-tender has won the hearts of Nigerians with his self-assured posture between the sticks and his penchant for launching onslaughts with long kicks that have been unsettling the opposition at this tournament.
