Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle has emphasized the need for his players to have a strong and aggressive start in their Friday Group C, matchday 9 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in Polokwane, South Africa.
The Super Eagles are hoping to revitalize their World Cup qualification dreams by securing all three points. The Nigerian side currently sits third in the group with 11 points after eight matches, trailing leaders Benin Republic and second-placed South Africa by three points. Their campaign has been disappointing so far, with just two victories, five draws, and one defeat, including a 1-1 draw against Lesotho in the reverse fixture on matchday 1.
Ahead of the crucial encounter, the first of two upcoming fixtures for the Super Eagles—Chelle stressed the importance of focus.
“This is football, anything can happen, could be because of the weather, because of the referee, because of injury,” he said during his pre-match press conference on Thursday. “So we need to stay focused about what we want from this game, to have this victory.”
Chelle outlined the necessary approach: “We need to stay focused on this game against Lesotho, a great team with a good coach and we need to be very focused to start well in this game with lots of intensity, aggression to score and win this game.”
Echoing his coach’s caution, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong insisted that the team must respect their opponent.
“We are approaching this the same way we approached South Africa, it’s important for us to go for the three points,” he stated. “We have to show Lesotho respect because they picked up a point against us. So it’s going to be an important game for both of us, we’ve had two good training sessions and we look forward to the game tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Leslie Notsi, head coach of the Crocodiles of Lesotho, is in a buoyant mood ahead of his team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against three-time African champions Nigeria.
Lesotho is set to entertain the Super Eagles in a matchday nine encounter at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday (today).
Coach Notsi is upbeat about his side’s chances of claiming maximum points from the game, despite acknowledging the challenge posed by their opponents.
“Fortunately, we don’t have any serious injuries that we can worry about coming into this fixture. So, it’s a clean bill of health for us,” Notsi told reporters in Polokwane.
He acknowledged that the match will be tough, as they are “playing one of the best in the continent. A team that consists some of the best players on our continent playing in the best leagues in Europe.”
However, Notsi expressed confidence in his squad’s ability to compete. “We are approaching this match knowing it’s not going to be easy, but the self-belief that we have had before, in our previous encounter… We believe, we have an opportunity to continue where we left off in our last match in November 2023.”
He concluded that their recent form has “given us hope to redeem ourselves in the last two fixtures we played. It has given us hope that we can secure points that we believe can put Lesotho at a better stage.”
