Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has claimed his team will be favourites to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria was absent at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco made history by becoming the first side from the continent to make it to the final four.
That has seen the Atlas Lions installed as firm favourites to clinch the next Afcon title, which was postponed to 2024, but Peseiro, who was in Qatar to watch most of the matches, feels the Super Eagles will be the team to beat in the Ivory Coast.
“Morocco’s performance at the World Cup shows African football has come of age and many teams especially from the rest of the world will now show more respect to teams from the continent,” Peseiro said as quoted by Owngoalnigeria.
“On our part, the aim still remains to win the next Africa Cup of Nations and we are ready to beat any team that comes our way. That’s the target and it remains the same.
“We have very good games in the qualifiers. We want to finish well and it starts with transmitting my ideas and tactics to the players. They will get it before the Afcon and we will be unstoppable.”
Nigeria last won the Afcon in 2013 and have endured disappointing runs since then, missing out on the 2015 and 2017 editions, finishing third in 2019, before a painful Round of 16 exit at the 2021 tournament.
