One of Africa’s most celebrated football rivalries will be renewed today (Saturday) as Super Eagles of Nigeria faces the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in a top-of-the-table Group encounter at the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Fès, Morocco. Nigeria come into the match following a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Tanzania in their opening fixture, with goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman sealing maximum points. Tunisia, meanwhile, made a stronger statement of intent, defeating Uganda 3–1 thanks to strikes from Ellyes Skhiri and a brace by Elias Achouri. READ ALSO: Nigeria Edge Tanzania to Open AFCON 2025 Campaign With Narrow Win Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated clash, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle said his team has worked intensely in training to prepare for what he described as a demanding contest against a technically sound Tunisian side. “For this game, we had a training session to recover, and we tried to put more intensity in the training session. Tunisia is a great team, and they are playing very well. Let’s go for this game,” Chelle said during Friday’s pre-match press conference. The Franco-Malian tactician admitted his side made some mistakes in their opening match but expressed confidence in the team’s ability to respond positively. “We analysed the game, and we did some things in the game, bad and good. But the goal was bad for us. The reality was that we scored immediately after the goal, and that was a good reaction. We will work on it, and if there is no mistake, there is no goal, but my players are very ready for this game,” he added. Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi also voiced confidence in the team’s preparedness, stressing that Nigeria are determined to avoid a repeat of their 1–0 defeat to Tunisia in the Round of 16 at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon. Saturday’s encounter is expected to play a key role in determining leadership of the group, with both teams eager to secure early qualification for the knockout stage.
Nigeria, Tunisia Set for Top-of-the-Table AFCON Clash in Fès
