Nigeria U-20 Coach Aliyu Zubairu has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s prospects after World Cup draw, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Zubairu is aiming for the trophy after his team was placed in group F alongside Norway, Colombia and Saudi Arabia but emphasised the importance of thorough preparation.
The El Kanemi Warriors Coach expressed positivity following the draw, stating that his team will prepare and get the best team for the tournament.
“My thoughts about the draw are positive. It’s very good that Nigeria is one of the countries participating in the World Cup proper,” he said.
“We will fortify the team in all departments before the World Cup, particularly in attack, by bringing in players who will be more clinical in front of goal—these players can be from within Nigeria or those playing abroad; so long you are good to fit in and you are eligible agewise—where you are coming from is irrelevant,” he explained.
“We are going to prepare a team that can play with higher possession and intensity, transform possession into goals, and defend effectively,” Aliyu added.
Coach Zubairu allayed any form of fear his opponents had, but rather stated his team just needs to prepare well.
“I have said it many times without time that there’s nothing like a group of death or a weaker group, but it’s the level of preparation of each team that matters,” he stated.
“As part of the preparation, we have the WAFU invitational tournament in Ghana sometime in June, and we are going to participate in it. After that, we intend to commence preparation for the World Cup early enough—though subject to NFF’s approval,” he said.
The 24-nation tournament is scheduled to run from 27 September to 19 October across four host cities: Santiago, Rancagua, Talca, and
Uche Dozie