Fitness level will determine Eagles result in qualifiers, says Rohr

Nigeria’s Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr, has said the level of fitness of the players would determine the team’s results in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The Nigerian team had a dream start after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Argentina in the just concluded Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Seychelles in their second AFCON qualifier match in September.

Prior to the victory, Nigeria had lost 2-0 to South Africa at home in their opening match of the AFCON qualifier but rose to the third position on the group E standings after their win against Seychelles, who sit bottom of the table.

Libya leads the group based on goal difference with four points, same South Africa, who occupies the second position. Nigeria sits third with three points, while Seychelles maintains the bottom spot with no point.

However, as the teams head into another round of qualification matches, Rohr has said only fitness can guarantee the team’s victory against Libya.

“We have to prepare for the two matches as we did against Cameroon last year…two games in four days mean we have to be very fit,” Rohr said in a tweet on Super Eagles Twitter handle.

The Super Eagles will face the North African team at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Saturday 13 October.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Football Association on Tuesday in a letter informed the Nigeria Football Federation of the planned arrival of their team on Thursday 11 October.

The Nigerian Super Eagles have since Tuesday arrived Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom state capital in preparation for the match.