2023 AFCON: Super Eagles to play Burkina Faso, Cape Verde friendlies Jan

Ahead of the next month’s Africa Cup of Nations, Super Eagles will play two friendly matches against Burkina Faso and Cape Verde in January.

It will be recalled the biennial Africa flagship tournament is scheduled to hold from January 13 to February 11 in Ivory Coast.

The Super Eagles are hoping to win a fourth AFCON title next year and are in Group A alongside hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.

Nigeria’s first game will be against Equatorial Guinea January 14 at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium before facing hosts Ivory Coast January 18 while their last group game will be against Guinea Bissau January 22.

FULL LIST: NFF releases 40-player provisional squad for AFCON

FULL LIST: NFF releases 40-player provisional squad for AFCON

Last week, the Nigeria Football Federation submitted a provisional 41-man list to the Confederation of African Football, with the final 27-man squad expected to be released January 3.

Following a decision by the organising committee of the AFCON, all 24 teams will be permitted a final squad of 27 players, four more than the initial 23 from previous tournaments.

The Eagles are also billed to camp in Saudi Arabia ahead of the tournament beginning from Friday December 29.

Meanwhile, a former Super Eagles striker and coach, Samson Siasia, has said the three-time African champions need to build their confidence back to get a chance at winning the AFCON.

While applauding the present team for its individual abilities, Siasia emphasised that team confidence was essential for Ivory Coast to win a fourth continental championship.

“The team has good players, but they have to play as a team. If they start playing as a team, then we might have a chance to do whatever, but time is not our friend. The time is short.

“If they can up their game, we never know. But we’ve got to get the right players. And let’s see. We’re not going to say they can win it or not. They can win it all. But let’s see how they improve from now on, moving forward.

“We need time to build a team. And we don’t have that time because time is gone. In another 10 years’ time, we should be looking at trying to win the World Cup, not just the Africa Nations Cup. So, we have to start building now,” he said.