We will play Nigeria without fear, says Mambas’ coach

Mozambique’s tactician Chiquinho Conde has admitted  his wards face a big task  when they clash with  Nigeria  today at the on-going  2025 Africa Cup of Nations, adding the Mambas   will confront the Super Eagles without fear.

While Nigeria will be looking to boost their bid to win a fourth continental title,  Mozambique will be aiming for their first  win over the West African side, with the kick-off set at 8:00 pm Nigerian time.

The Round of 16 match is poised to be played at the Fez Stadium in Fez, which is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region.

Mozambique were inconsistent in the group stage, having lost 2-1 to Cameroon on December 31 and it was their second defeat in their last three matches across all competitions, including a famous win over Gabon.

The Mambas managed to advance to the knockout phase for the first time after collecting three points from three games in Group C, progressing as one of the four best third-placed teams and they are hoping to create more history in Morocco.

” As a team, we know we will face the best the further we go in the tournament,” Conde said as per African Football . “We can’t say we are happy to face Nigeria because a win would have taken us away from that path or maybe if we finished second or third. Nigeria is a strong team and no one will want to play against them.

“But it’s the task that we have at hand and we will approach the game like the way we do against the top teams in Africa. Show them respect but play without fear.”

Nigeria and Mozambique have met five times across all competitions since their maiden meeting in August 1999.The Super Eagles boast an unbeaten record against the Mambas, having won four matches and drawn one.

The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 3-2 win in favour of Nigeria in an international friendly match played at the Estádio Municipal de Albufeira in Albufeira, Portugal, in October 2023.

The winner between Nigeria and Mozambique will take on either Algeria or DR Congo in the quarter-finals on January 10.