Cheetahs can beat Super Eagles in Uyo, Rohr boasts

• Fans to pay N1,000, N3,000 to watch Eagles, Cheetahs

Cheetahs of Benin Republic Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, believes his team can beat the Super Eagles when they clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on September 7.

Rohr led the Cheetahs to a rare victory against the Super Eagles in the first leg of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Abidjan, last June.

That defeat has put a big question mark on the Eagles’ bid to qualify for the biggest world football showpiece to be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

However, this weekend’s encounter is a 2025 African Nations Cup qualifier against the West African side tutored by the former Super Eagles coach.

Even though he admitted that he is facing a formidable team, Rohr said that their opening qualifying group game for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Uyo could go either way.

Speaking with journalists at the General Mathieu Kerekou Stadium while unveiling his list of 25 players for the games against Nigeria and Libya, Rohr said that he was preparing his players to be at their best in Uyo.

“We start with the most difficult match against a team that, as we have seen from their list, has a lot of great players. They will all be there this time. (Victor) Osimhen will be there, William Troost-Ekong, who was named best player of the 2023 AFCON. So, we will have the best of African football in front of us,” he said.

Among the players Rohr is banking on to beat the Super Eagles in Uyo are two players, Satumin Allagbe and Jordel Dossou, who are currently clubless.

The Cheetahs opened their camp in Cote d’Ivoire, on Sunday with several internationals present.

The Guardian recalls that Rohr qualified the Super Eagles for the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, but was not allowed to take the team to the championship.

He was replaced by home-boy, Coach Augustine Eguavoen, whose team failed in the second round against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, in the city of Garoua.

Eguavoen is back in the Super Eagles on an interim basis following the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) failed attempt to secure the services of German coach, Bruno Labbadia, last week.

Meanwhile, the NFF has pegged tickets for the match at N3,000 for the VIP stands, and N1,000 for regular stands.

The federation disclosed that match ticket sale-points will be located at Uyo Township Stadium, Government Primary School, Obio Etoi, Memories FM (Ernest Bassey Street), Comfort FM (Ikot Akpanabia), Inspiration FM (Udo Udoma) and De-Choice Shopping Plaza, adding that other sale-points will be designated by today.

Saturday’s cracker, which is a Matchday 1 encounter in the race for the finals, will kick off at 5 pm.