Super Eagles depart for Guinea-Bissau clash after Madagascar win

The Super Eagles will leave Uyo on Sunday for Bissau, where they will face Guinea-Bissau in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Tuesday.

The Nigerian team will hold a closed-door training session at 10am before heading to the airport at 2pm for their scheduled 3pm departure to Guinea-Bissau.

The trip comes less than 48 hours after the Super Eagles opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.

Madagascar took an early lead through Ehsan Kari in the 15th minute. Still, debutant George Ilenikhena equalised in first-half stoppage time before another debutant, Moses Usor, scored in the 65th minute to complete Nigeria’s comeback.

The result gave coach Éric Chelle’s side three points from their opening Group L fixture, but the quick turnaround means the team has little time to recover before Tuesday’s away encounter.

Chelle demands another solution

Chelle acknowledged after the Madagascar match that Guinea-Bissau would present a different challenge.

“I’m happy because they found the solution. It was not easy. So now we have to forget this game, analyse what we did, and then we have a second game in Guinea-Bissau.

“This is not the same team. They have their strengths, their weaknesses. So I have to think about what we will do in Guinea-Bissau.”

The coach also refused to commit to retaining the tactical system used to overcome Madagascar’s low block.

“I cannot tell you whether we will play with that system or not. We have to go first with our state of mind, and after that, we will play that game.”

Guinea-Bissau also won the opener

Guinea-Bissau began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tanzania, putting them at the top of Group L on goal difference ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Six takeaways from Nigeria vs Madagascar as Super Eagles fight back for victory

Nigeria, meanwhile, will be looking to build on Friday’s win as Chelle continues to reshape the team following the disappointment of missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Eagles are without Victor Osimhen for the opening qualifiers after the striker was ruled out while recovering from a muscle injury. Taiwo Awoniyi was subsequently called up as his replacement.

Chelle will have another training session in Bissau to fine-tune his plans before Tuesday’s encounter.

The match is scheduled for the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau, with the Super Eagles seeking another positive result in the early stages of the qualifying campaign.

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Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini