Peseiro targets elusive fourth TotalEnergies CAF AFCON crown for Nigeria

Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro has set his sights on landing a fourth TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations title for the Super Eagles when the tournament kicks off on January 13th.

The Portuguese manager believes Nigeria can conquer the continent again despite their last triumph coming back in 2013.

“We will fight to win the Africa Cup, even though it won’t be easy,” Peseiro declared in an interview.

Nigeria has been drawn against hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau in a tricky Group A.

But Peseiro insisted: “Our group is not easy because we are up against Cote d’Ivoire, who have a good squad and are playing at home.”

He added: “Equatorial Guinea reached the quarter-final at the last Afcon, better than Nigeria.”

Three-time champions Nigeria are camping in Abu Dhabi this week for a training camp before traveling to Abidjan for the tournament.

They kick off their campaign against Equatorial Guinea on January 14th.

Peseiro monitored over 70 players before settling on his final 25-man squad.

“It was not easy to choose the 25 players,” the manager admitted.

Nigeria is seeking to close the gap on record seven-time winners Egypt and Cameroon’s five titles.

The Super Eagles triumphed most recently in 2013 in South Africa thanks to Sunday Mba’s winner against Burkina Faso.

Peseiro believes his talented side can conjure another memorable Afcon triumph despite a tricky draw.

With Alex Iwobi and Victor Osimhen in their ranks, Nigeria has the quality to go all the way.

But they face stiff competition from hosts Cote d’Ivoire and an Equatorial Guinea side that reached the last eight in 2021, among others.