A confident Finidi George promises a different Super Eagles against Bafana Bafana

George, who was an assistant to Jose Peseiro when they beat Bafana Bafana in the semifinals on penalties at the AFCON, is promising a more offensive game at the Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo tonight. The two teams meet in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier and George sounds confident with his plan.

READ: Bafana Bafana prepare a new chapter on Uyo against Super Eagles

 ''I will say AFCON is gone, we all start again. We knew it was a difficult one but at the end of the day we won it, so that is important. This is a World Cup qualifier, I think we will play differently, this is going to be a different ball game. We will see how it will all play out, I am quite confident in our capacity and what we will do tomorrow [tonight],'' said George.

As a player, George won 62 international caps for the Super Eagles, won the 1994 AFCON, and played at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. The 53-year-old played in the golden generation of the Nigerian senior team and has been coaching Enyimba for the past three years. He believes that he’s got nothing to prove ahead of his first official international match as the Super Eagles head coach...

''Personally I have nothing to prove, it's you guys who are hyping everything. For me, I am quite relaxed and it is football, we know we want to win and we know what is at stake. So we will give our best and leave the rest'' added George.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after a loss to Ghana in the playoff, the Nigerian team is not deterred. England-based striker Kelechi Iheanacho is optimistic, believing that they have a significant opportunity to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, from this group.

Nigerian football fans are demanding and very hard to please. The team’s performance at the AFCON raised a lot of hopes despite the 2-1 loss to the hosts in the final. All Iheanacho is asking for from the Nigerians is support.