All roads will later today lead to Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia as Leone Stars of Sierra Leone will host Super Eagles of Nigeria for a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
A draw for Nigeria will all but cement their place in Ivory Coast while a win for the host who are playing in a neighboring country will present a glimmer of hope for them, although the journey will still be tender for them.
Thus, the 22,000 capacity Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia is expected to exceed its capacity above the highest ever experienced 60,000 attendance during the Liberia versus Malawi encounter of 11th June 1989.
Already Liberian President and only African Player to win football most prestigious award of Ballon D’or, George Weah, has indicated attendance to shake hands with the grade A football stars that Nigeria is going to parade. He yearns to watch the Victor Osimhen in Monrovia live.
President Weah believes so much in Nigeria and was one of the principal guests at the inauguration of President, Bola Tinubu at Abuja on 29th of May 2023.
Much is expected of the Group A match between hosts Sierra Leone and Nigeria as the West African country was adjudged by CAF officials not to have a standard turf befitting the status of such CAF match so after going front and back, Monrovia was picked.
The two teams landed Monrovia Friday and the Nigerian coach, Jose Paseiro, already acknowledged the match will be tough saying, “We therefore have to be at our best organization and commitment and play a collective game against them”. The Leone Stars Coach, John Keister is talking like Nigerian coaches used to speak anytime they have to face Brazil in years of Old, “we will try our best against Nigeria, we will give them a tough match”.
Nigeria slammed the Leone Stars in the first encounter on June 9, 2022 with a 2-1 win when Guinea Bissau same day walloping Sao Tome and Principe 6-1. On the match-day two fixtures played on June 13 last year Sierra Leone played 2-2 draw with Guinea Bissau while Nigeria took Sao Tome to football classroom with a 10-0 drubbing on their land.
On the 3rd day fixtures played March 22 last year, Sierra Leone again played 2-2 with Sao Tome even while hosting and Nigeria lost at home on 24th March to Guinea Bissau 0-1. On the 4th day of matches played March 26last year the Leone Stars beat Sao Tome 2-0 on away encounter while Nigeria went to Guinea Bissau and took sweet revenge with a one nil victory on 27th March just the way the Guineans slapped them in their previous encounter.
Now is match-day 5 on the 14th June 2023 Guinea Bissau went to Sao Tome and grabbed a 1-0 victory to dethrone the Super Eagles on the Group table living Nigeria in a must win encounter in Monrovia today.
Although there is an outstanding match for day 6 in the group, to be played on September 8, 2023 when Guinea Bissau will host Sierra Leone and Nigeria will host Sao Tome, this day 5 matches are important because if Nigeria wins, the outstanding match will be a formality in the group reckoning.
As at Friday, June 16, Guinea Bissau topped Group A with 10 points from three wins, a draw and a loss; Nigeria is 2nd with nine points from three wins and a loss; Sierra Leone is 3rd with five points with a win, two draws and a loss while Sao Tome sits at the bottom with a point from a draw. That is why Sierra Leone is looking forward to a miracle victory over Nigeria to keep qualification hope alive.
