Former Nigerian international, Segun Odegbami, has said the likes of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and champions Senegal are not as strong as Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are seeking a fourth AFCON title since emerging champions in 2013.
They are in Group A with Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea at this year’s tournament.
Odegbami, winner of the AFCON in 1980, posited that the only threats the Eagles will face are North African teams.
“I’m going to AFCON fully loaded to join those that will come back with that trophy. If you ask me why, I really don’t know, I can’t justify it but I have a gut feeling that it’s going to happen,” Odegbami said as a guest on Nigeria Info’s programme, Game On.
“The other teams are not very strong, the stronger teams are the North African teams but they are coming to meet us in West Africa.
“Senegal are not the team of two, three years ago, Côte d’Ivoire are not the same at all and those are the strong teams from West Africa that could give us a fight. Not Ghana, not Cameroon.”
Odegbami said the Eagles have the psychological boost with Victor Osimhen being the reigning African footballer of the year.
“He (Osimhen) is going to do well and win for us and based on a few of those things and we have good players but they haven’t blended as a team but now they will have a little bit of time to blend a little.
“The other teams are not very strong and we have a Victor Osimhen and I pray they remove Francis Uzoho in goal, if we do all of those things we are going to come back with the trophy.”
Meanwhile, 17 players are currently in the Eagles’ Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) training camp preparing for the AFCON 2023.
