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Nigeria will take Ghana, Mali friendlies serious – Finidi

Super Eagles interim coach, Finidi George, has promised that they will take the international friendly matches against Ghana and Mali seriously because they want to make Nigerians proud.

Finidi said this in an interview with the Super Eagles media officer, Babafemi Raji even as the team is preparing for the two friendly games scheduled to take place in Marrakech, Morocco.

“The response from the players after the first training was such a good one but we are still waiting for some players to join us in camp,” said George.

“The players in camp showed good signs during the first training which was, however, not intense but it has so far been a very good feeling and the team spirit is good, so I am happy about that.”

On the feeling of being saddled with the responsibility of handling the Super Eagles for the international friendly matches against Ghana and Mali, he said he is ready for the task at hand.

“Definitely as a coach, there is always one responsibility or the other but that is what we have chosen but then, you have to be calm and do your job and you have to do it properly,” he stated.

“I know that a lot of Nigerian football fans and lovers are watching us, so we want to make them proud. The 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast is done and dusted with.

“The international friendly matches against Ghana and Mali are two games that are very very crucial to Nigeria, so we will take them seriously and also make sure that we get the best out of them.”

Nigeria who came second at the 2023 AFCON following a 2-1 defeat to host nation, Ivory Coast in the final will take on Ghana’s Black Stars on Friday, March 22 and Les Aigles of Mali on Tuesday, March 26.

Nigeria will go all out to exact vengeance on Ghana because when they met in March 2022 in a two-legged play-off for a place at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Black Stars won on the away-goal rule after a 1-1 aggregate.

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