Defending champions Nigeria will lead several top teams on Wednesday including four-time winners Ghana and the Ivory Coast in a final bid to qualify for next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. The Super Eagles got their tottering campaign back on track at the weekend in Pointe-Noire, beating hosts Congo to cancel out a 3-2 shock home loss in September.
Nigeria, second in Group A with seven points from five matches, will bid to beat group winners South Africa in the brand-new Akwa Ibom International Stadium in Uyo to book their place in next year's continental showpiece. "It was not an easy game against a very determined Congo side, but luck was on our side. We took a big step forward (by this win)," said coach Stephen Keshi, who will be without Reading midfielder Hope Akpan who dislocated his shoulder in Congo. "Now we must do everything to get the three points and qualify for the Nations Cup."
Winners in 1996, South Africa are unbeaten in five qualifying matches under coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba but head to the southern town of Uyo with a poor record of just one win in ten matches against Nigeria. And both Nigeria and South Africa played out a goalless draw in Cape Town in September. "Going back to Nigeria will be war, it won't be just an ordinary football match," admitted Mashaba. "Nigeria never expected to draw with us, and we should've beaten them, on the day luck was just not on our side."
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