It will be the second time that both teams are going to face each other in the course of four months The home side lost to the visitors 2-1 when Uganda and the Cranes met in June for an international World Cup qualifying match.

If Nigeria steps on the pitch on Saturday, they will seeking to get even because for only the second time ever, they lost this match in June.

It was Raphael Onyedika who put the Super Eagles ahead in the match three minutes in the first half of the thirty minutes periods, but Benin was not to be conquered by the Eagles as two goals of Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie saw the Cheetahs over powering the Eagles in the first half.

This lead to the curtain being drawn on Finidi George’s brief stint as the Nigeria head coach after the former Ajax winger resigned after the Nigeria Football

Federation suggested that he made way for a new head coach while he rejoins the team in an assistant coaching position.

After a number of months with the post unfilled, a new head coach in the name of Bruno Labbadia was named, however, the NFF had not agreed a deal with the German before release hence creating confusion as both sides failed to agree on the terms of the contract.

This forced Augustine Eguavoen to be appointed on an interim basis to take the team through the games in September; this will be the third time for him to handle the

team.

His first assignment is to ensure that the super eagles of Nigeria register their first victory in the AFCON qualifiers since

March this year when the team has been running without a win in three matches – been defeated by Mali, Benin, and stuck with the draw of 1-1 against South Africa.

Nigeria, who placed second in the previous AFCON, has only lost one of its previous 12

AFCON qualifying games. They will be looking to continue this winning streak on

Saturday.

In the meantime, in an attempt to lead Benin to its first AFCON since 2019, former Nigerian head coach Gernot Rohr will try to inflict further suffering on his former team.

Since the German took over as head coach in February 2023, the Cheetahs have won three of their last twelve games, drawn four, and lost five.

But the first victory was given by CAF because Rwanda used an ineligible player in an AFCON 2023 qualifying match against Beninese. The other two victories, however, have come in their past two games, indicating a trend they will be hoping to continue when they meet the Super Eagles again.

Benin has never won a game in Nigeria, having lost 2-1 on their lone visit there in 2019 for an AFCON qualifier. However, with Rohr’s experience playing for Nigeria and their recent victory, the Cheetahs will be feeling more confident than ever heading into this match.

Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year, and William Troost-Ekong, the AFCON 2023 Player of the Tournament, have both rejoined the Nigerian team for the games in September after being injured and missing the country’s June World Cup qualifiers.

Returning to the squad is Taiwo Awoniyi, who hasn’t played since November owing to a mix of injury and not getting called up.

Bright Osayi-Samuel, a defender for Fenerbahce, was forced to withdraw due to an injury; Benjamin Tanimu, a recent addition to Crawley Town, took his place.

For this match, Samadou Attidjikou of Bani Ganse FC and Bachirou Sika of Cotton FC have been called up to the Benin squad for the first time.