Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr has disclosed that his target is to see his team finish top of their Africa Cup of Nations qualification group, but admits they must win away in South Africa next month to achieve the ambition.
The Franco-German gaffer admitted that winning away in Johannesburg will never be an easy task, but stressed that beating South Africa on November 17 is his prime target for taking top spot to Cameroon 2019, footballlive.ng gathered.
While recounting that Bafana Bafana gave his first defeat in charge of the Eagles back in June 2017, Rohr admits the reverse fixture will be tough to call, but insists getting the job is a task that his players must achieve.
Nigeria are on the cusp of sealing qualification for the tournament and are desperate to make it all the way to Cameroon, after their absence from the last two editions of the competition in 2015 and 2017 with Rohr saying the ticket now has to be picked in style.
The Eagles currently sit atop Group E with nine points after four matches and will be away at second-placed South Africa, from which victory will seal Nigeria’s passage to the tournament with a game to spare.
It would be a grand return to AFCON, joining the early pack to the tournament, which holds from June 15 to July 13, 2019.
Only the top two teams in the group will qualify for the first-ever 24-nation tournament, but Rohr says his side will work hard for their next match and then aim for a fourth continental title in Cameroon.
Rohr said: “We are working very hard to make sure that we get the necessary points in our next match in South Africa.
“We know that the match will not be easy but we are working well to make sure our players are in good conditions before the match.
“We want to make sure that we don’t lose the match just like what happened in our first match.
“We know that a good result in the match will put us at ease before the visit of Seychelles in our last match at home. We want to finish top of the group.”
