Stanley Nwabali Makes Bold Predictions for Super Eagles Ahead of AFCON 2025
- Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has backed the team to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- Nwabali made his tournament debut at the 2023 edition in Côte d'Ivoire and helped Nigeria reach the final, which they lost
- The Chippa United star is confident that the Super Eagles will take one step better than the previous edition this year in Morocco
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has predicted that Nigeria will go all the way to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Nigeria reached the final of the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast and lost to the host nation in the final after Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller cancelled William Troost-Ekong’s opener.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles, under the guidance of Augustine Eguavoen, qualified for AFCON 2025 after finishing at the top of the group, which also had Benin, Libya and Rwanda.
According to the NFF, Nigeria has been drawn in Group C for the tournament alongside Tunisia and East African neighbours Tanzania and Uganda.
Eric Chelle will lead the Super Eagles to the tournament in Morocco after taking over as the team’s manager from Eguavoen in January 2025.
Nwabali predicts Nigeria to win AFCON 2025
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali is confident that the team will win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after falling short at the previous edition.
“It's a big nation and going to a bigger tournament, because the Africa Cup of Nations is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, not only in Africa,” he told SuperSport.
“As a big nation, we always expect to win, not to just go to participate, but you know, football is something you don't predict. Playing in the final last year, like I said, probably this year, I feel we are going to win it.”
Nigerians are wary of Nwabali heading into the tournament, as the goalkeeper has dropped from the form that made him a fan-favourite at AFCON 2025.
Head coach Eric Chelle agrees with his goalkeeper that Nigeria's objective is to win the tournament with a “revenge mindset” after falling short last year.
“Of course, we want to win it. Personally, I want to win AFCON. My last and first AFCON was a fantastic experience. I think Morocco will be a great tournament, too,” he told CAF Online.
Source: Getty Images
“The players feel the same. Since March, we’ve played every match under pressure. When we set foot in Morocco, that pressure will be familiar. We’ll be ready mentally and in our collective mindset.
“If we arrive on the back of play-off success, stopping us will be difficult… Our strength is that the players have suffered, then found a way through. That can really hurt opponents.”
The Super Eagles' immediate concern is the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff against the Panthers of Gabon on November 13 in Morocco.
Ekong drew lessons from AFCON 2023 loss
Legit.ng reported that Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong drew lessons from losing the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to host nation Cote d'Ivoire.
The player of the tournament believes that the lessons learned from losing the final will guide the Super Eagles to win AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
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Source: Legit.ng
