A convincing Zambia win over Morocco in the other Group B game could put the loser of Nigeria vs South Africa's game at risk of elimination.
Golden Eaglets' head coach Nduka Ugbade revealed ahead of Nigeria's Africa U-17 Africa Cup of Nations game with South Africa, that his side would focus on being more prolific in Constantine on Saturday night.
To qualify from Group B, Nigeria must avoid defeat against South Africa to maintain their second-place group standing.
22:57 - 04.05.2023
U-17 AFCON: South Africa's coach says team 'might' go for draw against Golden Eaglets
Nigeria and South Africa will square off at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine on Saturday in what would be the final group game for both sides.
Golden Eaglets aiming to avoid mistakes made against Morocco
Speaking during Friday's pre-match conference, Ugbade declared that his side will rather aim for victory than take any chances.
“We have put the defeat against Morocco behind our backs and we are fully focused on getting a good result against South Africa," Ugbade said to reporters at Friday’s pre-match press conference.
"We didn’t deserve to lose against Morocco because we dominated the game but couldn’t convert our chances.
“We want to be more effective, more prolific in front of goal. It is a bit confusing because when we were in Nigeria preparing, we were scoring so many goals but when we came here we are not doing that. Sometimes with these young ones, it is about psychology and we have addressed that,” he added.
22:44 - 04.05.2023
'We must be more efficient', Ugbade says as Golden Eaglets move on from U-17 AFCON defeat
Nigeria fell to a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat on Wednesday, despite dominating possession of the ball, and attempting 27 shots.
Permutations for Golden Eaglets
Saturday's encounter slated for the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine, and expected to kick off by 8 pm (Nigerian time), could see the Golden Eaglets advance to the knockout stage either as first, second or third in Group B.
A convincing Zambia win over Morocco in the other Group B game could also put the loser of Nigeria vs South Africa at risk of elimination from the first round.
Should the Golden Eaglets manage to finish first, they would square up with hosts Algeria in the quarterfinals. A second-place finish would see them meet the runners-up of Group C, whereas, a best-loser finish will see them meet Group A winners Senegal.