Palancas Negras of Angola’s coach, Pedro Gonçalves, claims that his club has found a serious flaw in Nigeria’s squad ahead of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup with the Super Eagles.
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According to Obasanjo News24, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire would include a thrilling quarterfinal match between the Super Eagles and the Black Sable Antelopes of Angola.
At a press conference on Thursday before the game, Gonçalves stated that his squad’s chance to play against a top team like Nigeria was present.
For years, the people of Angola have dreamed of their national team reaching this level of competition, therefore this match holds great significance for both the team and the country.
“We’ll play Nigeria, one of the best countries in Africa for football.
“We have worked hard to get to this point in the competition, and this match is our chance to prove our value.
“I commend my colleagues for their unwavering dedication.
“This match is a chance to demonstrate our progress,” he stated.
He did, however, acknowledge that his club was the underdog going into the match against the clearly superior Super Eagles squad, who were well-prepared.
“We hold Nigeria in high regard for their achievements in African football thus far.
“At the moment, Nigeria boasts a highly strong squad that includes players from big European leagues like Serie A and the Premier League.
He declared, “To compete in this Africa Cup of Nations, they use the best playing system.”
The Angolan manager stated that the team was committed to reaching their goals and that they had a set of goals that had brought them this far.
One of the goals we have set for ourselves is to reach the finals in order to become immortal.
“We have studied our opponents thoroughly and are prepared to take advantage of some of the weaknesses we have identified. We have completed all of the necessary preparations for our match against the Nigerian team,” he declared.
The midfielder for Angola, Manuel Cafumana, emphasised that he and his colleagues were determined to succeed and that they would battle and make life difficult for the Super Eagles.
We have a match tomorrow that will give us the chance to establish our worth.
“I am proud of everything we have done since the beginning, but especially of the pride we now have for our nation.
“We’ll battle Nigeria the same way we did in the opening four games. We think we can win with our supporters by playing as normal.
According to Obasanjo News24, Stade Felix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan will host the quarterfinal encounter between Nigeria and Angola at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. Nigerian time).
