• “We came here to win the tournament,” said Osimhen at the team’s hotel in Abidjan.
• Nigeria hasn’t won the Cup of Nations in 10 years and Osimhen admits the people of Nigeria are expectant.
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Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen believes the Super Eagles are well prepared to face hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the second game of the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.
Nigeria drew 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea in their opening match of the tournament while the hosts were 2-0 winners over Guinea Bissau last Saturday.
The Napoli forward maintains the squad knows the magnitude of this match as Cote d’Ivoire top Group A on three points, two above Nigeria.
“We came here to win the tournament,” said Osimhen at the team’s hotel in Abidjan.
“We know it’s not going to be easy. We want to go game by game. We drew in the first game, which we could have won, and now we have the second game against the hosts — a big one for us but, of course, no pressure. We will try to get a win and to give ourselves a chance to advance to the knockout stage. I think the team is ready. I am ready.”
Nigeria hasn’t won the Cup of Nations in 10 years and Osimhen admits the people of Nigeria are expectant.
“I think the whole team is optimistic in terms of trying to win the Afcon. It’s not going to be easy but this is our mindset. What Ahmed Musa said is true, we will try to get a win and go back to Nigeria with this prestigious trophy. But just like I said, it’s not going to be easy.”
Osimhen is currently playing his best football after winning the African Player of the Year Award in Morocco last month following his successes in the Italian Serie A.
“It’s a dream come true for me to win the Scudetto with Napoli after three years and winning the African Footballer of the Year. I don’t know how to put it in words but it’s an amazing feat and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” added Osimhen.
England-based Nigerian duo of Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho, also remain optimistic, but cautious, about their chances.
Fulham’s Iwobi said: “We wanted a win (against Equatorial Guinea) but we are not going to dwell on that. We will move on and, hopefully, put things right and qualify for the next round.”
Nigeria played at 2 pm local time on Sunday with some players talking of “too much heat” but Iwobi says they’ll have to put up with the conditions.
“It’s not easy (playing at 2 pm). I’m used to playing in the cold so playing in such conditions was not easy. But if it was not easy for me, then it wasn’t for the other players too. I can’t complain.”
“First of all, we have to analyze them (Ivory Coast). They had a great start and are the hosts. We’ll see what we can do to get the result we need,” he added.
“There’s no pressure. We play football everyday we just need to go and do the job. We believe in ourselves so we just have to go and prove it. We just need to bring the quality we quality we show for our clubs it to the national team,” said Iwobi.
Iwobi, who switched allegiance from England to Nigeria, said he’s had a good season and is itching to use his current form to lead the Eagles to a first title in a decade.
“I have enjoyed African football, the tempo is a bit quicker and a lot more aggressive but I have adapted to that. I have been playing in the national team for years now. I’m enjoying myself,” he said.
The Fulham star would want to see his Premier League mates in the latter stages of the competition.
“I have my teammate Fodé Ballo-Touré from Senegal and I’m also close to Mohamed Elneny (Egypt). I would like to see them go far in the competition,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Iheanacho believes the Equatorial Guinea draw was a wake-up call.
“I think it’s a wake-up call for us going forward. We need to be ready for the Ivorians. They are the host nation so they will come out strongly,” said Iheanacho.
The Leicester forward declared himself fit for Thursday’s clash. He was an unused substitute in the draw with Equatorial Guinea.
“I am feeling good. I was out for a little bit but I’m ready to go. I’m 100 per cent ready to serve the nation. It doesn’t look good from the outside but from the inside, we have all it takes to do it. We just have to keep working hard and believing,” added Iheanacho.