Eric Chelle Prepares for World Cup Playoff vs Gabon, Watches Aubameyang in UCL
- Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has given his thoughts about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of the World Cup playoff
- Chelle, who is on holiday in Portugal, watched the Gabonese striker in the UEFA Champions League group stage match
- Nigeria will face the Panthers of Gabon in a crucial African World Cup playoff semifinal in Morocco on November 13
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle stepped up his preparation for next month's World Cup playoff by watching Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Portugal.
Chelle turned Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign around after taking over as the team's permanent head coach in January.
Source: Getty Images
The Franco-Malian coached four wins and two draws in six matches to help the Super Eagles secure a playoff spot, despite being on three points from four games when he arrived.
The job is not done as Nigeria faces a potential run of three matches in the playoffs to secure a spot at the tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
As noted by FIFA, Nigeria will face Gabon in the semi-final of the African playoff tournament, and if they win, they will face the winner between Cameroon and DR Congo.
The journey continues in the continental playoff, where the Super Eagles will play only one match because of their FIFA ranking if they win the African slot.
However, the focus remains on the Panthers of Gabon first, before looking ahead to other matches, which are potential at this point in time.
Chelle watches Aubameyang
Super Eagles boss Eric Chelle is currently in Portugal for a short holiday before regrouping for the crucial match against Gabon in Morocco.
Chelle spared some time to watch the Champions League match between Sporting Lisbon and Olympique Marseille, in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang featured.
Aubameyang assisted Igor Paixao for Marseille’s only goal in their 2-1 loss, and the Super Eagles boss, who was in attendance, gave his assessment.
“I am here in Portugal to see my daughter, but I watched the game Sporting against Marseille in the Champions League, and Aubameyang played this game,” he told Segun Odegbami.
"Gabon has a good team. They have some great players like Aubameyang, Lemina, and Bruno Ecuele Manga. They have a good coach with a good philosophy. When the team plays, we can see they are impressive.”
Source: Getty Images
The former RC Lens defender is not fazed by the quality of his opponent, but is focused on his team and what approach he will take with the match.
He stated that he has two options to approach the match, one of which is to defend all game or make a high press, similar to how he played Benin.
Eric Chelle made bold promise to Nigerians
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle promised Nigerians that the Super Eagles will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
The manager is confident that his team will go through the playoffs and qualify for the tournament ahead of their match against the Panthers of Gabon.
Source: Legit.ng
