Ifeanyi Udeze: Are the Super Eagles taking Tanzania seriously?

Former Super Eagles defender Ifeanyi Udeze has warned Eric Chelle's squad not to underrate Tanzania in Friday's AFCON 2027 qualifier in Uyo, and said it pained him that some players had still not reported to camp.

Udeze, a two-time AFCON bronze medallist with Nigeria in 2002 and 2004, was speaking on Brila FM, as reported by Complete Sports.

“It won't be easy against Tanzania. It will be tough and I hope they will not underrate Tanzania.”

He went on to criticise the late arrivals.

“What is painful to me is that some players are yet to arrive camp.”

Udeze questioned whether those players were taking the fixture seriously enough, before ending on a warmer note: “I just wish them all the best and hope they get the three points.”

The game, and the camp he is talking about

Nigeria host Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday 13 November at 17:00 WAT, with the return leg on Tuesday 17 November. The Super Eagles are second in Group L on three points, with Tanzania bottom on one.

Seventeen players took part in Chelle's first session in Uyo on Tuesday, with seven still expected, Naija News reported, after flight scheduling problems at Victor Attah International Airport held several players up on Monday. Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze are out injured, and Semi Ajayi, who was forced off with a knock at Arsenal last weekend, trained with the group on Tuesday.

Analysis: a fair warning, and a harsh reading of the late arrivals

Udeze's first point is hard to argue with. Tanzania are already at the finals as co-hosts, so they arrive with nothing to lose, and their federation has made a point of saying they are not afraid since their early arrival in Uyo. Nigeria have never lost to the Taifa Stars, but a side playing freely in a qualifier that cannot hurt them is exactly the kind of opponent a big team can stumble against.

His second point is tougher on the players than the facts support. Travel trouble at the airport delayed several arrivals on Monday, and the first session still took place three days before kick-off.

The real test of his concern comes on Friday. If the Super Eagles start sharply in Uyo, the late arrivals will be forgotten quickly; a slow start would give Udeze's warning a sharper edge in a Group L race that really runs through Guinea-Bissau.