Bala Nikyu has fashioned out an attacking Nigerian side, full of flair and above all plays in the typical African way.
They face a nation who have been building great sides in football for the past eight years. But amid all the hard graft and defensive solidarity, the match may well be decided by one of two exciting players of the tournament, Uchenna Kanu and Nahikari Garcia.
Africa meets Europe as Nigeria go head to head with Spain in Liberia. The Nigerians have been hugely impressive, advancing from the group phase with a 100 per cent record and scoring seven goals and conceding two in the process.
NIGERIA
Story so far: Bala Nikyu’s side have already exceeded expectations by topping their group with three wins from a possible nine points. Their defending has been questionable but the quarter-final progression was always a realistic expectation. They are set to erase the record books if they can advance ahead of Spain.
Team news: Nigeria are set to be unchanged from the side that beat Mexico, meaning team captain Chinwendu Ihezuo continues up front alongside Uchenna Kanu and Aminat Yakubu, with impact player Joy Bokiri and the tournament revelation Rasheedat Ajibade enjoying free roles down the middle.
One to watch: Uchenna Kanu has been a thorn in the side of opposing defences at Costa Rica 2014, continually making herself available for her team-mates and showing off the full range of her passing skills. In finding the back of the net against Mexico, she became only the second player in the competition to score in every group match, Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos being the first.
SPAIN
Story so far: Spain recovered from their opening-day defeat to Japan to qualify in style with a 7-1 defeat of Paraguay – their biggest ever victory – and have high hopes of matching their performance at Trinidad and Tobago 2010, where they finished third.
Team news: Elena De Toro has done enough to keep her place in goal. Laura Dominguez is another deadly player that must be closely watched, with Nahikari Garcia playing a huge role upfront.
One to watch: The name that should trouble the Nigerian defence line should be Nahikari Garcia. A killer on her day, as her game is modeled after the great Mia Hamm of USA. She has netted three goals so far in the tournament.
What they say
Ann Chijiene, Nigeria assistant coach: 'The knockout stage is the most difficult stage of any competition but we are ready to beat Spain on Friday because our only aim of being here is to win the trophy. Like any team that is in the competition, we are here to win and we would try our best to beat Spain.
Jorge Vilda, Spain head coach: This team goes from strength to strength. It’s always the same for us at major tournaments; as the games go by, the team gets better and better. Our last two results have shown our attacking potential. But there are still aspects of our play that we need to improve, such as nervous starts and little uncharacteristic lapses.
Probable line-ups
Nigeria (4-2-1-3): Onyinyenchi Okeke, Ayomide Anibaba, Mary Ologbosere, Esther Elijah, Ugochi Emenayo, Ihuoma Onyebuchi, Joy Bokiri, Rasheedat Ajibade, Aminat Yakubu, Uchenna Kanu, Chinwendu Ihezuo
Spain (4-4-2): Elena De Toro, Nuria Garrote, Beatriz Beltran, Silvia Merida, Rocio Galvez, Pilar Garrote, Nahikari Garcia, Patri Guijarro, Andrea Falcon, Sandra Hernandez, Laura Dominguez
Fact: Ghana were the first African country to reach the semi-final of the FIFA U17 Women World Cup. The Black Maidens finished third in Azerbaijan after defeating Germany 1-0. The Flamingoes will hope to go better and make history as the first African team to reach the final of this year's tournament
Expert Edge: There were fears as regards the chances of the Africans after two scrappy wins in their first two group games, but the Bala Nikyu wards restored some respect with a three-nil demolition of Mexico. The game should end 3-1 in favour of the Flamingoes.
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