“No pressure” – Everything coach Aliyu Zubairu said after Flying Eagles’ AFCON draw with Tunisia, Morocco, and Kenya

Flying Eagles head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, has expressed confidence in his team’s readiness ahead of their group stage clashes with Tunisia, Morocco, and Kenya, Soccernet.ng reports.

The new draw sees Nigeria placed in Group B alongside two North African heavyweights, Tunisia and Morocco, as well as East African side Kenya.

Following the redraw for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, many have begun to tag the group as another “Group of Death.” However, Coach Zubairu is unfazed.

“I think it is high time we stop looking at some teams as bigger while some as smaller,” he told Soccernet.ng. “I don't think there is any minor opposition in Africa any longer — it all depends on your level of preparation.”

He continued, “Imagine when the first draw was done, we called it the group of death simply because we were drawn alongside Egypt, South Africa and Morocco. Now we have a new draw that consists of Tunisia, Kenya, with the same Morocco, and we have started saying another difficult group. Which country do we want to play that is not tough? All I will say is how much have we prepared is what should be the issue.”

Having overseen a three-week training camp in Katsina, Zubairu is satisfied with the team's progress, noting significant improvements.

“Going by what we observed in Katsina, the team has made a tremendous improvement in terms of blending the team together and adapting a more advanced approach to matches.”

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When asked about the challenge of facing two North African sides, the coach kept his tactical cards close to his chest: “How to approach two Northern Africans is purely for the team’s consumption.”

Despite the weight of expectations and the history behind the U-20 national team, Zubairu insisted there’s no added pressure.

“There is no pressure of any kind. All we are doing is to keep focus to achieve our first target, which is to get the ticket to the World Cup.”

When pressed further about whether he has any tactical surprises fans should look forward to ahead of the tournament, the coach said, “Of course there are, but I wouldn't want to let the cat out of the bag.”

The Flying Eagles will now enter the final phase of preparation in Egypt, where the tournament will run from 27th April to 18th May.