Head Coach of Nigeria’s U23 national team, Bright Ozebagbe, has expressed confidence in his players ahead of their 2028 Olympic Games qualifying encounter against DR Congo, insisting that the team will let their performance on the pitch do the talking. 

 

Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Lubumbashi, DR Congo, Ozebagbe stressed that football is decided over 90 minutes and that playing at home or away does not necessarily determine the outcome of a match. The Nigeria coach maintained that consistency across both legs would be crucial, noting that a team’s ability to perform well over the two encounters would ultimately determine who progresses to the next round. 

 

Reacting to a question on what information he hasgathered about the DR Congo U23 side, the Ikorodu City FC coach explained that his primary focus had been on preparing his players for the challenge rather than being distracted by the opposition. 

 

Meanwhile, DR Congo U23 head coach Guy Bukasa has declared his ambition to secure a convincing victory over Nigeria and put his team in a strong position to advance to the next round. Bukasa drew confidence from his side’s performance against Mauritania in the previous qualifying round. DR Congo recovered from a 0-1first-leg reverse away from home to secure a 2-0 victory in the return leg, booking their place in this second round. 

 

While acknowledging the strength of the Nigerian team, Bukasa expressed optimism that his players could capitalise on home advantage and the support of their fans to secure qualification at Nigeria’s expense. 

 

The first leg encounter is scheduled to take place at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13, with Nigeria set to host the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne. 

 

23 PLAYERS FOR BIG BATTLES WITH DR CONGO:

 

Goalkeepers: Samuel James (SJK FC, Finland); Clinton Andy (Rivers United); Michael Atata (Ikorodu City)

 

Defenders: Christian Akpan (Genk FC, Belgium); Victory Akpe (FC Basel, Switzerland); Vince Osuji (Tromsø IL FC, Norway); Emmanuel Godwin (Pardubice FC, Czechia); Odinaka Alfred (Nasarawa United); Emmanuel Ochobi (Rivers United); Aliu Sugau (Barau FC)

 

Midfielders: John Otomewo (Reims FC, France); Daniel Daga (Molde FC, Norway); Wilfred George (Kristiansund FC, Norway); Chibuzor Nwoko (Fulham FC, England); Aderemi Adeoye (Ikorodu City); Sadiq Saleh (FC Metta, Latvia); Victor Samuel (Pardubice FC, Czechia)

 

Forwards: Peter Edokpolor (SL Benfica, Portugal); Sulaiman Sani (Al-Qadsiah FC, Saudi Arabia); Umar Abubakar (FC Famalicao, Portugal); Zadok Yohanna (Brighton FC, England); Abdullahi Umar (Hradec Kralove, Czechia); Abdulmuiz Adeleke (Sporting Supreme)