Golden Eaglets strikers Abubakar Abdullahi and Charles Agada are positive about the chances of Nigeria qualifying for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup.

Five-time world champions Nigeria will do battle with Burkina Faso at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Thursday evening, with the winner of the quarterfinals showdown earning a ticket to the World Cup.

In what was his first start of the AFCON, Agada impressed as the Golden Eaglets secured a hard-fought victory over South Africa, scoring and registering an assist in a 3-2 win.

Abdullahi is also up and running in Algeria, having opened his goalscoring account in the Golden Eaglets' final group game. 

"I am happy to score my first goal for Nigeria. I thank the coaches and my teammates for what happened against South Africa," says Agada.

"I pray that we will continue to make Nigerians happy with our performance in the tournament,"

Abdullahi added : "I feel much relieved after I scored against South Africa. I scored 3 goals in WAFU last year. 

"We will not underrate Burkina Faso but play our game with a  strong mentality to win as our coaches have taught us."

History favours the Golden Eaglets heading into the fixture against the Young Etalons, given that they have reached the semifinals of the U17 AFCON in seven of their last nine attempts, while their West African opponents on Thursday have made it to the last four on four occasions. 

The winner of the tie between Nigeria and Burkina Faso will face either South Africa or Senegal in the semifinals of the U17 AFCON.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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