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2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying
Group D
Matchday 3
Nigeria v Libya
Godswill Akpabio International Stadium
Uyo, Nigeria
Friday, 11 October 2024
Kick-off is at 15h00
Nigeria interim coach Augustine Eguavoen has stressed the importance of their
2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against, with the first meeting taking place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday, October 11.
Eguavoen has made un unbeaten start to his tenure since taking temporary charge of the Super Eagles for a fourth spell in August after a deal with Bruno Labbadia fell through.
Eguavoen's side kicked off their qualifying campaign with a solid 3-0 victory over Benin in Uyo on September 7, but they had to settle for a share of the spoils in their next match after being held to a 0-0 draw by Rwanda.
The AFCON 2023 finalists top Group D on four points ahead of the Cheetahs, who picked up all three points against the Mediterranean Knights on matchday 2.
Eguavoen will approach the upcoming clash in Uyo as the biggest game in the country's history to ensure they head to Benghazi in a strong position in the group.
"We play against Libya back-to-back, it will be the same approach that we had for the previous games, but it's a game at a time, so game 3 (vs Libya) is a World Cup final," he told Brila FM.
"No game will be easy, but we will do everything possible to put smiles on the face of Nigerians."
Libya have enjoyed a promising year, losing just two of their nine games after winning four in a row at the start of 2024.
Nasser Al-Hadhiri's side put their first point on the board following a 1-1 draw against the Wasps in Tripoli on September 4 before they squandered an early lead to lose 2-1 to Benin in Abidjan six days later.
Al-Hadhiri's preparations have quite gone according to plan though, as several key players missed the training camp in Tripoli which affected his tactical plans.
"We have not yet reached the required readiness to face a strong opponent the size of Nigeria," he said. "The team suffers from the absence of a number of players in the first training sessions, which led to difficulty in imposing a comprehensive tactical vision for the match.
"This lack of preparation represents an additional obstacle for the team that needs to exert double efforts to achieve a positive result away from home, and return with at least a draw point to renew the hopes of qualification."
Head-to-Head record:
Matches - 4
Nigeria wins - 4
Libya wins - 0
Draws - 0
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