Many pundits view today’s opening Group C clash between Nigeria and Tanzania as a classic David versus Goliath encounter, given the teams’ respective pedigrees in world football. But Taifa Stars Coach, Miguel Gamondi and his star boy, Faisal Salum, say the Eagles are in for a rude shock if they underrate their side.
 
Nigeria will take on Tanzania in Group C’s opening game by 6.00 p.m. today at the 35,000-capacity Complexe Sportif de Fès.
 
Nigeria is ranked as the 32nd best team in the world by FIFA, while Tanzania stands at 131st in the ranking. However, the Tanzanians say that this ranking does not matter when they enter the pitch.
 
Speaking ahead of the game, Gamondi acknowledged the Super Eagles’ quality, while insisting that the Taifa Stars must deliver a near-perfect performance to stand a chance against the 2013 AFCON champions.
 
He stressed that Tanzania will not approach the game with fear; instead, they will focus on their organisation and belief as they prepare for the continental heavyweights.
 
He said: “You don’t need to introduce the attacking force of Nigeria. When you see the quality of their players, you need to give more than 100 per cent.
 
“The smallest mistake against this kind of team can punish you.”
 
The coach banks on his team’s structure, organisation and tactical discipline to overcome their more illustrious opponents, saying: “The key for us is the shape, the tactical discipline, the structure and the organisation.
 
“In games like this, there is no room for mistakes. We are not here only to defend.
 
“Our mentality is not only to defend. We want to recover the ball and try to attack as well. We are coming here to compete with our guts.”
 
Also, sure that his team would survive Nigeria’s Salum said the Taifa Stars will build on their CHAN experience, where they lost in the quarterfinal to eventual champions, Morocco.
 
Salum was one of the standout performers for the Taifa Stars, and he hopes they can build on that performance in Morocco.
  
“Everyone is really motivated after what we did in CHAN. Those were very tough games and almost the same as an AFCON. This will definitely be tougher because we are competing against the best players in Africa from across the world. But, we have built on some incredible belief and fighting spirit from what we did in CHAN,” the midfielder, who plays locally for Azam FC, stated.
 
A majority of players in Tanzania’s squad are locally based and have retained the same level of cohesiveness and understanding.
 
The East African side shaped up for the tournament in Egypt, where they played several friendly matches against local sides to boost their readiness.
 
Salum says the players feel confident and ready, and the Egypt camp has done them good in terms of raising their standards.
 
Salum says they have been picking up lessons along the way, and they are primed to go one step better under coach Gamondi, with the round of 16 being their primary target.
 
“We have learnt a lot, especially from Cote d’Ivoire last time out. We need to give 100 per cent in every game; there is very little room for mistakes, and you must play with the highest standards of discipline. With these lessons, we want to do better, and there is confidence in the group that we can achieve our minimum target. We have a very strong playing unit and an experienced coach in Gamondi, and we believe these are the right ingredients for us to do well,” Salum added.