AFCON 2023: “We played twice and lost one” – AC Milan ace Chukwueze sets Nigeria’s agenda for Guinea-Bissau

The former Villarreal winger is convinced that the Super Eagles are serious about sealing a fourth continental trophy

AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze wants Super Eagles to take their last Group A fixture against Guinea-Bissau as their most important game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations so far, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nigeria will trade tackles with Guinea-Bissau at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Monday with a qualification ticket for the knockout round on the line.

While the Djurtus are looking for their first-ever AFCON win, Nigeria can finish as group winners with any manner of victory as long as Equatorial Guinea do not beat hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the other group game.

It will be the fourth time the Super Eagles meet with the Wild Dogs over the past two years.

Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory when the two teams met at the group stage of the last AFCON in Cameroon only to fall to a surprise 1-0 home defeat in March 2023 during the qualifiers for this tournament.

The Super Eagles claimed their pound of flesh with a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture in Bissau.

Confidence is especially high in the Nigerian camp after beating hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Chukwueze believes that win shows the Super Eagles desire to be African champions again.

The AC Milan forward knows Guinea-Bissau will be no pushovers but he maintains that Nigeria will go all out for the win against the Djurtus.

“We played with our hearts (against Cote d’Ivoire). This game shows we are ready to fight for Afcon,” Chukwueze said, as per BBC.

“This group is complicated but the most important game now is the last game.

“There is no small country in this Afcon and Guinea-Bissau are good. We’ve played them twice in qualifying and we lost one.

“We need to win the last game to top the group and ensure we qualify for the next round.”

Nigeria have lost only one group match – a 2-0 defeat to Madagascar in 2019 – at the AFCON since their opening day 3-1 loss to Egypt at the 2010 edition.