Victor Osimhen has urged his Tremendous Eagles teammates to remain centered and totally dedicated as Nigeria prepares for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The 26-year-old ahead harassed the significance of urgency, warning that previous successes and expertise alone gained’t assure success within the qualification marketing campaign.
The three-time African champions have had a tricky begin to the qualifiers, drawing three of their first 4 matches and sitting 4 factors behind Group C leaders, Rwanda.
With an important match towards Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, Osimhen has referred to as on his teammates to study from previous errors.
“There’s a brand new supervisor now, and we’re all wanting ahead to the sport towards Rwanda to appropriate our earlier errors and put ourselves in a greater place to qualify,” Osimhen mentioned in an interview with BBC Sport.
The Galatasaray striker missed Nigeria’s final two qualifiers as a result of damage however is predicted to return for the necessary sport.
Regardless of the crew’s struggles, Osimhen stays assured that the Tremendous Eagles can flip issues round beneath their new coach, Eric Chelle. The Malian coach took over in January, changing into the primary non-Nigerian African to handle the nationwide crew.
Osimhen, who was a part of the squad that missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, admitted that the frustration was exhausting for each gamers and followers. He believes the crew should show their value on the pitch to earn their place on the 2026 World Cup.
“Individuals say we’ve a proficient era, however we will solely present that expertise after we play in a World Cup like these earlier than us,” Osimhen mentioned. “I used to be unhappy, like my teammates, to overlook out on Qatar, and our followers didn’t perceive how a lot it affected us.”
“For this reason we should appropriate the earlier errors by giving the whole lot to our nation, our new coach, and show ourselves,” he added.
With upcoming matches towards Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March, Nigeria must shortly discover their type in Group C. The group winner will safe automated qualification for the World Cup, whereas the second-place crew could need to undergo a playoff.
Given the unpredictable nature of African qualifiers, Osimhen warned towards complacency and highlighted the significance of effort and dedication.
“Names not win matches. You have to be prepared and centered for the complete sport. We shall be enjoying for our nation, our households, and the hopes of just about 300 million folks,” he mentioned.
The 2023 Serie A winner understands the strain of main Nigeria’s assault however insists the crew should embrace the problem and ship when it issues most.
“It’s not in regards to the strain however the need to not let ourselves and our nation down. Taking part in within the World Cup is a precedence, and we should make it occur this time,” Osimhen concluded.
With their qualification hopes in danger, the Tremendous Eagles want robust performances towards Rwanda and Zimbabwe to get again on monitor.
