Head coach of the Nigeria U17 team Emmanuel Amuneke,
has warned his wards to be wary of Mali when they meet for the second
time in as many days at the WAFU B Under-17 tournament in Togo on
Wednesday at the Stade Municipal.
Nigeria and Mali were left in Group B
following the withdrawal of Niger from the tournament and Wednesday’s
match slated for 3:00pm local time(4:00pm Nigerian time) would determine
who top the group.
Golden Eaglets had already recorded a
2-0 win on Monday and would need at least a draw to top the group with a
chance of meeting Group A’s runners-up in the semi-final on Friday.
“The game on Monday gave us better ideas
about the Malians and I must confess, they are a very good side,”
Amuneke said after the Eaglets’ training session on Tuesday.
“We had thought the Malians were going
to parade big players like they did when we met them during the
qualifiers for the 2013 CAN Championship in Morocco but I’m quite
impressed with the young boys they brought here.”
The Zamalek winger said his desire at the tournament was to win all his matches.
He said, “Of course, the game on
Wednesday will be a different one because the Malians will want to
avenge their defeat, but we just have to consolidate on our position.”
Amuneke has allayed fears over any
injury in the team after some players suffered cramp in Monday’s game,
saying that all his players would be available for selection.
“Having such pains is normal and we
should not forget that we have prepared these boys under two weeks for
the competition,” he said.
“Again, this competition has given the
players the opportunity to know what is demanded at this level and by
the grace of God; they will be at their best against Mali on Wednesday.”
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