Olympic Eagles coach Imama Amapakabo has told www.busybuddiesng.com he has a better knowledge of the Libyan U-23 side after Wednesday’s 2-0 loss in the first leg of the U-23 AFCON qualifiers in Tunisia, and hopes Nigeria will knock out the North Africans on Monday in the reverse fixture.
“In Tunisia, we knew very little about this Libyan team,” the former Rangers coach admitted. “But I think now, we have a clear picture; we know exactly how the Libyan team is.
“We knew their formation and tactics but we didn’t know the personnel behind it. But right now, I think we have a clear picture of who they are, how they function, how individual players react tactically and the technical strength of the team.
“I think it is a plus for us.”
In an attempt to get the desired win against the Libyans on Monday at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Amapakabo extended an invitation to Super Eagles stars Francis Uzoho, Chidozie Awaziem, Victor Osimhen, and new-boy Valentine Ozornwafor.
When asked if he is confident of overturning the 2-goal deficit, the ex-Kano Pillars goalkeeper said: “In football, everything is possible.
“And I think a 2-0 scoreline is one of the easiest scorelines to overturn in football coming from my experience of the game, because we need any early goal to change the complexion of the game completely.
“We need to score first, we need to score again and we need to score again. And God-willing, I think we are putting everything within our powers. I think we will qualify.
“If we stick to our tactical position, and if it works out for us, we would be able to score enough goals to make us qualify.”
