U-17 AFCON: Nigeria takes on Burkina Faso today

*It’s going to be fireworks, says Coach Nduka Ugbade

It will be a West African derby on Thursday (today) when the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria tackle Burkina Faso in the quarter-final game of the ongoing Africa U17 Cup of Nations in Algeria, with Head Coach Nduka Ugbade saying it is going to be a pulsating tie.

Ugbade disclosed this at the pre-match press conference at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, as he noted that both teams are not strangers to each other having met at the final of WAFU B U17 tournament in Ghana, where Nigeria triumphed 2-1.

“The game is going to be very interesting. At the WAFU B tournament, we had Togo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Niger and Burkina Faso. We did well to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the final.

“The only difference is that this is AFCON, but surely, it is going to be an interesting and very important game because victory will guarantee qualification for the FIFA World Cup,” Ugbade said.

In a related development, Emmanuel Michael, who scored three goals at the WAFU B U17 tournament, said his teammates have respect for Burkina Faso. He, however, assured Nigerians that the Eaglets will work very hard to win the game.

“We respect Burkina Faso, they are a very good team. The team loves to play and never gives up.

“We hope to win the game. We will work very hard, play to the instructions of our coaches and win the game to qualify for the World Cup,” Michael said.

The quarter-final clash is billed for the Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers and the kick-off is 8pm Nigerian time.