Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr is still picking positives from his side’s outing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as he believes the players will now use the experience to batter Seychelles on Saturday.
Although many Nigerian soccer lovers are still disappointed that the Eagles could not go beyond the group stage in Russia, Rohr insists they learnt many lessons, and now expects the players to use the experience to give a more effective approach against Thew Pirates.
Saturday’s Group E Matchday 2 fixture will start at 4.30pm (1.30pm Nigeria time) at the 10,000 –capacity Stade Linite in Victoria on Mahe Island, one of the many patches of land that make up the archipelago of Seychelles.
The Indian Ocean country of 115 islands is a leading tourist destination for fun seekers, but Rohr said his players are not in Seychelles for sightseeing, but to reassert their soccer pedigree and put their AFCON 2019 ambitions back into reckoning.
Rohr declared: “The World Cup is behind us now, but we must allow the lessons we learnt in Russia to make us better and more efficient in our approach.
“The Cup of Nations is the focus now and we must get a good result on Saturday to get our campaign back.
“Then we can now look ahead with determination to win the remaining matches in our group to qualify easily for the championship.
“We have a young, ambitious team and Nigeria has a better pedigree in football than Seychelles. But we must not under –rate them in any way or take things for granted.
“We are not here on vacation. We are here for serious business. Everyone realizes the importance of this match.
“We are currently number three in our group and that position does not befit Super Eagles of Nigeria. It is not good for us because it is outside the qualification range.
“The players know this. They know that on Saturday they have to show character to put our campaign back on track with a good result.”
