Benin will welcome Nigeria in the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier on Sunday.
The West Zone B first-leg encounter will take place at the Stade de l’Amitié in the capital city of Benin, Cotonou.
Benin booked their place in the second qualifying round after defeating Togo 8-7 on penalties following a 2-2 draw on aggregate last month. Nicknamed the Squirrels, Benin have never qualified for the CHAN finals since the inception of the tournament in 2009.
The Squirrels are under the guidance of Oumar Tchomogo, who will look to mastermind a victory over Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nigeria did not take part in the first qualifying round as they had to wait for the winner between Benin and Togo. Thetwo CHAN finals. They finished third in the 2014 tournament, before failing to reach the knockout stages last year.
Salisu Yusuf, the Nigeria coach, has 29 players in camp, but he has revealed that 10 will be dropped ahead of their first clash with Benin. Referee Mustapha Ghorbal, who hails from Algeria, will be in charge of the encounter between Benin and Nigeria. The second-leg game will be played in Kano, Nigeria next weekend. The winner on aggregate will advance to the finals. Ben Nwachukwu with Agency Report.
