Gernot Rohr has stated that he and his Super Eagles players are spiced up to put an end to the Republic of Benin’s eight-year unbeaten record which has seen the squirrels fail to lose a game at home since 2013.
The Super Eagles are currently in camp in Lagos as the team is preparing for the 2022 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against both the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.
The Super Eagles lead the Group L table of the Afcon qualifiers with eight points and victory over Benin or Lesotho will seal their place at the continental tournament.
Ahead of the first encounter with fellow West African nation, Benin on Saturday, Rohr while speaking to reporters promised Nigerians that the team will beat the Squirrels despite not losing at home in Port-Novo for eight years.
Rohr said, “Everyone wants to beat Nigeria, it is normal. We also want to win there (Porto Novo), so it’s a big challenge because they’ve not lost a match at home in eight years.
“You should expect a team (Eagles) that wants to play good football first, who are going to show Nigerians that they are fighting for their country and are able to do well in Porto Novo against the team who haven’t lost a game at home, since losing 3-1 to Algeria in a World Cup qualifier in 2013.
“It’s a huge challenge for us to go and try to win, knowing a point will earn us qualification. We’ve had a good training session and we will go there to qualify. If we can win, we will, but already, a draw is enough for us to qualify. Qualification is our target.
“The Squirrels are a good team, they came to their country on a chartered flight, we couldn’t do the same. In the worst case, we still have the game against Lesotho here, but I’m very confident that we can qualify in Porto Novo.”
By Oluyemi Ogunseyin