Nigeria's Super Eagles will look to revive their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign when they host Tanzania in Uyo on Friday, with coach Éric Chelle demanding victories in both legs of their double-header.
The three-time African champions head into the encounter under pressure after beating Madagascar 2-1 in their opening game before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.
Preparations initially faced delays after flight scheduling problems affected players' arrival in camp.
However, all 24 invited players had joined the squad by Wednesday, allowing Chelle to work with his full team.
Team media officer Promise Efoghe said the players underwent training routines designed to improve their readiness.
He added that they were “focused and determined to deliver good performances in both qualifying matches.”
Chelle said the team was determined to recover from its previous defeat.
“We must work hard in these two matches and do everything to win,” he said.
“The spirit in camp is high, and everyone is focused on achieving victory in both matches.”
Captain Wilfred Ndidi has also stressed the importance of securing maximum points from the two encounters.
Former Nigeria international Sylvanus Okpala urged the players to treat the fixtures as must-win games.
“They should know that for them to qualify, they have to play to win all the games now and hope that someone will lose the game,” he said.
Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen will miss the fixtures following knee surgery at his Turkish club, Galatasaray.
Ademola Lookman, Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare and Moses Simon are expected to lead Nigeria's attack.
The first leg kicks off at 5 p.m. at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, with the return scheduled for Nov. 17 in Zanzibar.
Nigeria currently have three points from two Group L matches.
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