Algeria Coach Leekens : Desert Foxes Are Desperate To Beat Nigeria

Algeria coach Georges Leekens hopes a morale-boosting victory over Nigeria in Uyo in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers can help ease the pressure on the team.

The Fennecs drew their first fixture against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 1-1  and need to win the tie to boost their qualification chances.

Algeria are in Uyo, Nigeria to take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the matchday two of the qualifiers.

Lodged at the Le Meridien Resort, the Algerians will have a feel of the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game.

The Belgian who will be tinkering the Fennecs for the first time in a competitive game remains calm despite the pressure and is confident his squad have what it takes to revive their World Cup qualifying campaign in Uyo.

“We’ve not been too pleased with the last performance. The team is desperate to catch up and make up ground, ” Leekens told allnigeriasoccer.com.

“This game is a chance to get our qualification hope on track. I have got a lot of good characters about the place - don’t worry about that.

“This is a great group of lads to work with. I never go to bed thinking someone is going to let me down and someone isn’t going to give me 100 percent.

“My players are intelligent enough to understand the fixture. The importance of the game is understood.”

“It’s a massive game in terms of our impact on the group. We’re still involved, it is still quite tight. It’s a must-win.

“The group is still all to play for and a point would be a decent result for us, especially with games to come at home.

“We’ve come with a game plan to try and win and if we can get a result we’re still involved with big games coming up in 2017.”

Saturday’s outing will be Nigeria’s 50th World Cup qualifying home match as they take on the Fennecs of Algeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

With the three points from the first game away to Zambia, the Super Eagles are assured top spot if they beat the visiting North Africans on Saturday.

The winner of the group automatically qualifies for the 2018 FIFA World Cup holding in Russia.

Igho Kingsley